t LIBIIAIIY OF C'LXGHESS. ^ 



^^c/^ 






JCMTED STATUS OF AMERICA, f 




o{ 






I GENERAL BUNKER 




> 





THE 



r^ 



v1 



GREAT AMERICAN 






"Gekeral Bukker" 



ILLUSTRATEI>. 



A TRUTHFUL AND THRILLING NARRATIVE OF ADVEN- 
TURES AND NARROW ESCAPES IN THE ENEMY'S 
COUNTRY, UNDER ORDERS FROM GENERALS 
GRANT, LOGAN, IMcPIIERSON, AND OTHER 
LEADING COMMANDERS. 



u 



njj/p.A-n.. 



S^hird (Mitktt^lleuisiid. 




. ^ NEW YORK: 
PUBLISHED BY OLMSTED k WELWOOD. 

1868. 



Eltos 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1SC8, by 

OLMSTED & WELWOOD, 

In the Clerk's Office of the United States District Court, for the Southern Dislrict 
of New York. 



Stereotyped by Littuj, RKfrNiK i. Co., Printed by Jon.x J. r.Ei;D, 

iSO Broome St., New York. 43 Centre St., N. Y. 



TO 



Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, 

■WHOSE UNDAUNTED ENERGY, HEROIC VALOR, 8UPKKIOR 

GENERALSHIP, AND DEVOTION TO HIS COUNTRY, 

HAVE PROVED HIM 



The Right Man in the Right Place," 



AND WON FOR IIIM 



A WORLD-WIDE FAME; 



To THE Gallant Officers and Soldiers, 



■WHO HAVE NOBLY ASSISTED IN SUSTAINING OUR GLORIOUS NATIONALITY 
BY CRUSHING THE GREAT REBELLION, 



THIS roLUMU IS liESTJSCTi'ULLr ^ je:t>ica Ti:D. 



PREFACE. 



It was with much difficulty that I was prevailed upon 
to^give to the public a narrative of my experience as 
a scout and spy. It was the intense interest with 
which the commanding generals and others have lis- 
tened to my narratives, whenever I have related 
them, and their earnest entreaties to have them pub- 
lished, that induced -me to do so. 

I entered the army with purely patriotic motives, 
with a desire to sustain and perpetuate the noble in- 
etitutions that had been purchased by the blood of 
our fathers. I valued the cause of liberty as well 
worth all the sacrifice that it might cost to save it. 
I saw at once that the conflict was to be one involv- 
ing great principles, and that in the end Truth and 
Justice must prevail. 

The part that I have borne in putting down the 
great rebellion is the one that naturally fell to me by 
the force of circumstances, and entirely unsolicited. 
My relation in the affairs of life seems to have been 
such as to have just adapted me to that part that fell 



6 PREFACE. 

to my lot to act. I have been a cabin-boy on tlie 
canal, from which I graduated to the position of canal- 
driver. I have been a Frontier Ranger, a Rocky 
Mountain Trapper and gold-hunter on the eastern 
slope. I have been a cattle-trader at the North, a 
raft-pilot at the South, and an Arkansas school- 
master. 

The incidents that I have narrated are all of them 
facts that have occurred in my experience, and, 
without further apology, I submit them to an indul- 
gent and candid public, and claim that every scene 
narrated here is the unvarnished truth. 

C. L. RUGGLES. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 



Parentage — Childhood incidents — Subsequent occupations — Driven from 
IVIississippi — Works on rebel fortifications — Escape to Illinois — Enlists 
as a soldier — Supposed to have deserted — How he got hLs name — Ex- 
amination by the surgeon 11-17 

CHAPTER 11. 

Moves to Cincinnati — Detailed to guard the forts — llects a secesh lady — 
First scout — Unexpected visit oi" tiic colonel — The drill— Bad report — 
The mischief investigated — Attempts to discover the rogues — Innocent 
man accused — The accusers skedaddle — Who got the chickens 1&-25 

CHAPTER III. 
"Marching orders — First battle — Arrives at Fort Donelson — The sur- 
render — Goes North with prisoners — JMeets an old friend as a rebel 
captain — The captain attempts to bribe him — Expedition up tlie Ten- 
nessee River — Touching incident — Battle of Shiloh— Captures an En- 
field — Recommended as a scout 2G-3-1 

CHAPTER IV. 
Rumored attack upon Grand Junction — " General Bunker" sent out as 
spy — Passes himself as a rebel soldier — Falls in with rebel cavalry — 
Visits a rebel camp — Attempts to deprive him of his revolver — Dis- 
covers a Yankee forage party — Undertakes to return — captured b}' 
Yankees, and robbed oi" his revolver and money — Passes as a rebel spy 
— Sent to the provost-marshal — Sent to General Hurlbut — Returned to 
Grand Junction 85-50 

CHAPTER V. 

Fired at by a citizen — The sick overseer — How he was cured — Pickets 
fired on — Trip to White Church — Visits General Van Doru — Meets a 
rebel spy — Reports to General Leggett — Grand Junction evacuated — 
Again sees the rebel spy — Attempt to arrest him — Drinks wine with the 
rebel General Jaclison — Discovers a hole in the fence 51-60 

CHAPTER VI. 

The value of the oath — Attempt to take " Bunker's" life — Sent to Grand 
Junction — The hazardous ride — The countersign — The chase — Unfor- 
tunate occurrence — The chase abandoned — fleets with guerrillas — They 
invite him to drink — Renewed vigilance — The battle of Middleburg . 67-7o 

CHAPTER VII. 
Attempts to visit the enemy's camp — Learns the strength and position of 
the enemy — Return intercepted — Perilous situation — Loses his mule — 
Frightened by men of his own regiment— The plan to capture the 
enemy — The negro's report — The forces discovered — Disposes of a 
rebel picket — Reports his discovery 74-815 



8 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Sent to find the enemy's pickets — Suspicious circumstanco— Sick child — 
Captures three citizens standing picket — Releases them — Falls asleep — 
Peiilous situation — Fortunate turn of affairs — Attack on the pickets — A 
very pious man — He proves a rebel spy 83-90 

CHAPTER IX. 

Sent to Somerville — Finds himself a prisoner — Taken to Cold Water — 
Meets with old acquaintances— Is paroled — Runs with the 3d Arkansa-s 
Cavalry— Goes to Lumpkin's Mills^Intervicw with General Price — 
Stays all night with his brother, the rebel general— Return to Bolivar- 
Reports to General Ross — Obtains the colonel's horse, and returns to 
the enemy — Runs away from the enemy 91-100 

CHAPTER X. 

Sent to Grand Junction to capture guerrillas — Suspicious incident — Strat- 
egy — Orders disobeyed — The rebel flag — Tlie very kind secesh lady — 
Out of the frying-pan into the fire — Guerrillas watching for tliem — 
The attack— 'the prisoner— Result of the trip 101-113 

CHAPTER XI. 

Sent to Lagrange — Observes two cavalrymen — Arrival — "Waits for the 
cavalry — Accompanies them out — Takes his departure — Is pursued — 
Evades the pursuit — Finds himself cornered — Crosses the Cypress 
Swamp — Robbed by outlaws — The fate of the robbers 113-124 

CHAPTER XII. 

Starts to find General Bragg's forces — " Woods" the pecosh farmer — 
Guerrillas washing stockings — Finds Bragg's advance — Recognized as 
a Yankee spy — Ordered off his mule to be shot — The clamor of the 
crowd — Recognized as a Confederate spy — Rebel surgeon vouches for 
him — Is released — Gray -headed rebel brought to justice — The sutler of 
the 2d Arkansas Cavahy a prisoner — What became of the gucrrilla.s 
that were washing stockings 125-13(5 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Reconnoiters Hickory Flats with a squad of seven men — Shoots at 
the mark — Orders to march with two days' rations — Cause of the 
alarm — Reconnoiter beyond Whitesville — Major Mudd's trap — " Bunk- 
(?r" entices the rebs intoit — Rides into the trap behind a rebel captain — 
Sent out beyond Pocahontas — Passes as a rebel arlillerist— Secesh cit- 
izen stands guard for him^The very kind secesh lady — The anxious 
wife — Discovers guerrillas burning a human being 137-155 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Starts on a trip for General Lauman — His instructions — A Confederate 
widow — Discovei-s a squad of rebel soldiers — Captures part of their 
anns — Learns the whereabouts of guerrillas — Attempt to capture them — 
Guerrillas escape — Captures a prisoner — Cause of guerrillas' escape — 
The " General" and squad are arrested — Unfortunate state of affairs — 
Informality of charge and specifications 15G-1G0 

CHAPTER XV. 

Assistance of friends— Fails to get a trial — Gloomy prospects— Evidence 
accumulates— Guard-house incident — The " General" concludes to help 



CONTENTS. 9 

himself— Narrow escape from guerrillas — The capture — Reaches his 
regiment — Himself and squad released 167-177 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Starts for Grenada — InstiHictions — Is captured — Returns to Water Valley 
— Starts again — Arrives at Grenada — Condition of Price's army — lie 
returns — Again sent to Grenada — Proposes some fun — Plan of strategy 
— Plan unnecessary — Returns with rebel cavalry — Bivouac at Big 
Springs — The attack — More fan than bargained for — The result. 178-187 

CHAPTER XVII. 
The forage party — Runaways — Daring scout — Narrow escape — The line 
of battle — Safe return — Scout reports — Assumes the character of a relx;] 
prisoner — Finds a friend — Hov/ he introduced himself — Where he be- 
longs — The burning of Holly Springs — The heroine — What she captured 
—Shows partiality — Offers assistance — Rebel doctor executed. . . 188-199 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Arrival in Memphis — Daring robbeiy — Detailed by the provost-marehal 

general— Assumes the character of a rebel major — Secesh acquaintances 

— Captures a rebel mail — A jolliiication — A rebel trader — Plan to run 

the pickets — The escape of the outlaws 200-212 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Reports to Major-General McPherson — Instructions — Disguise — Starts for 
Vicksburg — Changes his route — Reports to General Denver — Acquaint- 
ance with a cotton-buyer — Plan to make money — Visit to guerrilla Sol. 
Street — The arrangement consummated — Visit to General Price — Arri- 
val at Jackson — Robbed of his field-glasses — Introduction to President 
Davis — Visit to Vicksburg— Visit to Edwards' Station — Meets his bear- 
lumting comrades — Visits Black River Bridge — Robbed of his horse — 
The return — lieports to General McPherson — Reports to General 
Grant 213-327 

CHAPTER XX. 
Return to Mississippi — Instructions — Visit to Troy — Movement of cavalr>' 
— Reports to General Denver — Is arrested — Federal cavalry driven back 
■ — Is released — Visits Greenwood — Journej'' to the Mississipjji River — 
The perilous crossing — Again arrested — Interview with General Prentiss 
— Takes the oath of allegiance — Meets a friend — Makes his escape — Re- 
ports to General Grant , 228-240 

CHAPTER XXI. 

Return to the regiment — The Henrj- rifle — The march from Milliken's 
Bend — The tug of war — The army crosses the Mississippi — Capture of 
Port Gibson — Battle of Raymond — Amusing capture — Tiie charge on 
Jackson — Battle of Champion Hills — The rebel courier — Sharp-shoot- 
ing — The gallant charge — The march to Vicksburg — The place be- 
sieged 241-254 

CHAPTER XXII. 

First sharii-shooting at Vicksburg — Silences two guns — The rifle-pit — 
Shoots a Carolinian — Tlie Carolinian's comrade — Outshoots a squad of 
sixteen — The defiant rebel — Shoots for Generals McPherson and Logan 
—Beats the Parrot rifles — Joke on the Adjutant-General — Visit to Ad- 
miral Porter — The French spy — The disclosures — Capture of a rebel 

dispatch— The fate of the spy 25.5-2(i9 

I* 



10 CONTENTS. 

CFI AFTER XXIII. 

Sent for by General Grant — Instructions — Crosses Black Iliver — Is cap- 
tured by rebel cavalry — Sent to General DeVieu— The interview — 
Passes as Johnston's spy — The attempt to escape — The pursuit — Fired 
at by Federal pickets — Again fired at by tlie enemy — The pursuers 
driven back — Again fired at by Federal pickets — The alarm — Reports 
to General Ostcrhaus — Reports to General Grant 270-280 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

Visit to Chickasaw Landing — Surrender of Vicksburg — Visit to the city — 
The paroled Major — Tlie Yankee trick — Returns to Vicksburg — Made de- 
tective — Is sent to Yazoo City — Attends a guerrilla organization — Makes 
them a speech — Returns to Vicksburg 281-289 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Taken sick with the ague — Encounters his Satanic Majesty — The Devils- 
afraid of General Graut — Expedition to Bogue Chitto Creek — Captures 
a rebel Colonel — Enlists as a veteran — Makes a speech to the soldiers. 

290-299 
CHAPTER XXVI. 

Frightened by a dead Colonel — Burns Confederate com in face of the 
enemy — Gets into a tight place — A frightened Major — Captures infor- 
mation — A headstrong Captain gobbled up — Captures a rebel Provost- 
marshal General — Encounter with General Ross' s cavalrj' — A strange 
adventure — I^ces with a rebel Colonel — A hard-Iieaxted woman . 300-32o 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

Starts home on veteran furlough — Suspected of being a rebel spy — Com- 
missioned officer serves him at the table — Kind attentions at home — Si- 
lences an old maid — Returns to the front — Shot at twenty-one times — 
The remedy — A Union lady — The dwarf weaver — The weaver be- 
headed — Goes into Slariettaasaspy — Confederate side of the lines — Es- 
cape from the rebs — General Mcpherson's death — Hard fightmg.. . .'S26 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Goes to Ohio to recruit — Raises twenty-one men — Difficulty with the Gov- 
ernor — Visits Lieutenant-General Grant — Order from the War Depart- 
ment — Again in difficult^' — Runs away from the Governor — Reports to 
General Sherman — Georgia raid — An amusing coincident — Reports to 
General Granger, at Mobile^Reports to General Griei-son, in Texas — 
Makes a trip to the Upper Colorado — Incident at General Grant's head- 
quartei-s — The war over 351-381 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

Ludicrous effect of fear — A Corporal outflanks a Captain — A good Union 
man — A touching appeal — A scene among the wounded — An old Se- 
cesh discovers his mistake — Suggestions from experience — Concluding 
thoughts — Certificates and eudoi-sements 382-400 



THE 

GREAT AMERICAI SCOUT AND SPY. 



o >t > «» ^ 



CHAPTER I. 

Parentage — Childhood incidents — Subsequent occupations — Driven from 
Mississippi — Works on rebel fortifications — Escape to Illinois — Enlists 
aa a soldier — Supposed to have deserted — How he got his name — 
Examination by the Surgeon. 

I WAS born in the town of Copley, Summit County, 
Ohio, on the I7th day of June, 1823, and at the time 
I entered the army was thirty nine years of age. My 
father's name was Alfred Buggies. At the time of 
his death he was living with his second wife. His 
family numbered twelve sons and seven daughters. 
I am the youngest of seven children by my father's 
second wife. 

My flither was a blacksmith by trade, and all of 
his sons, except myself, were taught this trade, un- 
der his personal instruction. Lorenzo E-uggles, my 
father's second son by his first wife, after having 
finished his trade, was sent to college and educated. 
He is the General Ruggles of the Confederate army. 

When I was ten years of age my father died, leav- 
ing a large farm to be disposed of by a will. The 

an 



12 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

children went to law, and spent the entire property 
in hreakins" the will and settlinj]f the estate. In con- 
sequence of that I was thrown upon my own labor 
for my support at a very early age. 

The next summer, after my father's death, I hired 
out as cabin-boy on board of one of the packet-boats 
running on the Ohio Canal. I continued for three 
summers to follow the canal in that capacity, and 
for four summers following I was a canal driver. 
The last three seasons I drove the same team, and 
at the end of the third season I received from the 
Transportation Company a prize of ten dollars for 
having kept my team in the best order. 

The winter following, my seventh season on the 
canal, I went down the Mississippi PJver to Arkan- 
sas, and spent the season chopping steamboat wood. 
While thus employed on Island Twenty-eight, I had 
the fortune to kill a very large black bear, which I 
sold to a steamboat captain for what seemed to me 
at that time a great price. The incident turned my 
attention to trapping and bear hunting. I spent se- 
veral successive winters in hunting and trapping in 
the wilds of Arkansas. In the winter of 1851 and 
1852 I was employed in hunting wild hogs in the 
Yazoo bottoms, for Peter Nash, of Vicksburg, Miss. 
I was thus engaged at the time that the fourteen 
French hunters were killed by wild hogs in the Yazoo 
bottoms. I spent one year as an overseer for Mr. 
James Ford, of Memphis, Tenn., on the French pal- 
ace plantation, near the fort of Island No. CO. My 
summers were usually spent on the Mississippi an^ 



SCOUT AND SPY. 13 

its tributaries. In the summer of 1859 I went to 
Pike's Peak, and thence to Salt Lake. The winter 
of ISGO and 18G1 I was at work on Wliite Iliver, 
Ark., and had several hands at work with me, filling 
a contract for shingles for a man by th^ name of 
Ilanner, in Bolivar County, JMississippi. 

In the spring I commenced to deliver the shingles, 
hut Mr. Ilanner refused to receive them, on the ground 
that the country was engaged in war. His refusal 
to receive them provoked me, and I said to him, "All 
you need is a good thrashing, and then you'll behave 
yourself and not talk so." That enraged him, and he 
turned and left me, muttering vengeance as he went. 
An hour later he returned with a party of men, threa- 
tening to hang me if he should catch me, but I was 
not to be found. Mr. Ilanner did not accuse me of 
being an abolitionist or a Northern man. He was 
soon after made Colonel of the 17th Mississippi 
Zouaves. Knowing that my life was in danger there, 
I made my way to Memphis, Tenn. 

At Memphis, I found the secession element deci- 
dedly too hot for me. I saw no other way for me to 
do but "aid and comfort" the secession movement or 
leave the country. 

Lying at the levee v/as a steamboat just getting 
up steam, destined, it was said for St. Louis, Mo. 
She had on board a cargo of picks, spades, wheelbar- 
rows, and whisky. I took passage in her and went 
to Columbus, Ky., and there she stopped and com- 
menced to discharge her cargo. I soon learned that 
she was going no further. 



14 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

At that place I came across Mr. James Ford, for 
whom I had heen an overseer on the French pahico 
plantation. He gave me a warm greeting, and said 
that he was glad that I had come. He was at that 
time in command of the post, and engaged in forti- 
fying the pUice. He persuaded me to take charge 
of a gang of negroes and work on the forts, which 
I did, to kill all suspicion until an opportunity oc- 
curred for me to escape. "When I had heen there 
engaged for five days, the steamboat Amelia came 
up the river and landed, on her way to Cairo, 111. 
I happened to know the pilot, and told him that I 
was in a tight place, and hy his assistance I secreted 
myself on hoard the hoat and went to Cairo. It was 
the last steamer that was allowed to pass by Colum- 
bus, Ky., until the place was captured by the Federal 
army. 

From Cairo I went to Toledo, 0. Recruiting for 
the Federal army was going on rapidly all over the 
North. In August, 1861, 1 visited the principal cities 
in Ohio, in search of a company of sharpshooters, in 
which to enlist. I found several such organizations, 
but none of them were officered by men that suited 
me. In the month of December, while at Columbus, 
Ohio, I met Lieutenant Downs, of the 20th Ohio Vo- 
lunteer Infantry, with a squad of ten men, on his way 
to Trumbull County to recruit. Liking the appear- 
ance of his men, I enlisted, on condition that ho 
would furnish m^e with an Enfield rifle. 

From Columbus v/e took the first train of cars to 
Cleveland ; it was late in the evening when we 



SCOUT AND SPY 75 

arrived. Passing a boot and shoe store that was yet. 
open, I obtained leave of the Lieutenant to remain 
long enough to purchase a pair of boots before going 
to our lodgings. The Lieutenant and party did not 
stop, but continued on to the hotel. After purchasing 
my boots, I got into an interesting conversation with 
the shopkeeper, and remained somewhat longer than 
was necessary. I had been intrusted to the care of 
Corporal Grinnell, by the Lieutenant, and my long 
absence had created a suspicion in the mind of the 
Corporal that I had deserted. He had also heard 
Lieutenant Bostwick, while in Columbus, advise 
Lieutenant Downs not to enlist me, for fear I would 
run away. At last he started out with three men 
in search of me, and found me still at the shop. I 
have since had many a joke with Lieutenant Bost- 
wick and Corporal Grinnell about their suspecting 
that I would desert. They have been among my 
warmest friends in the army. The next morning, at 
eleven o'clock, we reached Warren. At that place 
the party dispersed to their homes, and I was fur- 
nished boarding at the Eagle House, where I remained 
for ten days. 

On Monday, January 8, 1862, we met to go to the 
regiment, then at Camp King, near Covington, Ky. 
The squad had increased by accession of recruits to 
twenty men. Our journey passed off pleasantly, and 
in two days' time wc reached our regiment. The 
party that went home with the Lieutenant had car- 
ried their knapsacks with them ; not knowing at that 
time the name for them. I asked the Lieutenant if 



IG THE GREAl AMERICAN 

he had a "Bunker Ilill" for me to wear on my liack. 
From that expression I received the name of "Bunker," 
and have heen more generally known by that name 
in the army than any other. 

The next morning after our arrival in camp, we were 
marched over to the Surgeon's quarters for examina- 
tion. From a list of names that the Lieutenant had 
handed him, the Surgeon called " Lorain Ruggles ! " 

"Here I am. Doctor," I answered, what do 3'ou 
want of me ? " 

"I want to examine you, and see if yon are sound." 

"Oh, that's it, is it. You need not be to that trouble, 
I'm sound enough." 

" Well, but I must see whether you are sound or 
not ; hold out your hands ; work your fingers ; touch 
your hands over your head." 

Going through the motions, I /Ided, "OA, / te'tc 
you that I am all rights 

"Are you ruptured ? " he continued. 

^'Ruptured! what is that?" 

"Are you bursted ? " 

"No, I ain't quite busted yet; I've a couple of 
dollars left." 

" You don't understand me, Mr. Buggies," con- 
tinued the Surgeon, placing his hands on my abdo- 
men. "Are your bowels all right ? " 

" 0/i, I understand you noiu ! They are a little thin; 
the rations donUt relish ivell yetT 

The doctor secceeded at last in making me under- 
stand, and having finished his examination, we were 
accepted as soldiers in the United States army. 



SCOUT AND SPY, 17 

Like all other recruits, as soon as mustered in I 
was placed under drill. To me the "steps" and 
"facings," "times" and "motions," were perfectly in- 
comprehensible. I formed a dislik3 to them that I 
could never get over. I was expert in the forest at 
handling my piece, and I did not see why the same 
times and motions that would kill a bear would not 
kiHa"reb." 



18 THE GREAT AMERICAN 



CHAPTER II. 

Moves to Cincinnati — Detailed to guard the forts — ^Meets a secesli lady — 
First scout — Unexpected visit of tho Colonel — The drUl — Bad report — 
The mischief investigated — ^Attempts to discover the rogues — Innocent 
man accused — The accusers skedaddle — Who got the chickens. 

Shortly after I joined the regiment it moved to 
the city barracks in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the 
duty of the regiment at that time to guard the forti- 
fications that had been built to protect the cities of 
Cincinnati, Covington, and Newport. Not long after 
we arrived at the barracks, company "H," to which 
I belonged, was detailed for a three days' tour at 
guarding the line of defenses. Lieutenant Downs, 
with a squad consisting of three sergeants and twen- 
ty-seven men, was sent to guard that part of the de- 
fenses known as the Three-mile Batteries. I was one 
of the squad. 

These batteries formed a chain of defenses running 
eastward from the Licking River at a distance of 
two miles and a half south of the city of Newport. 
Beginning near the Licking River, was situated Fort 
Slialer ; a mile and a half east was Fort Stuart, and a 
mile and a half-east of that was Beechwoods Battery. 

The detail was divided into three squads, of a 
sergeant and nine men each, for each of the three 



SCOUT AND SPY. 19 

forts. I was one of the squad that went to Fort Stuart. 
That fort being between the other two, was made 
head-quarters of the officer commanding the detail. 

We crossed the Ohio River on a ferry-boat to New- 
port, and then marched out. When we had gone about 
half-way to the forts, we were met by a lady in a 
carriage, who as we passed, called out, " Hurrah for 
Jeff. Dayis!" We took it as a down-right insult, but 
passed along without making any disturbance. Wo 
soon overtook a young man, who told us where tho 
lady lived, Avho she was, and also that she was a 
secesh, and that her sentiments were well known in 
the neighborhood. She was a widow. 

The next morning I asked Lieutenant Downs for 
the privilege of taking three men with me to scout 
the neighborhood for information concerning its dis- 
loyalty. He granted the request, on condition that 
we report back promptly by 2 o'clock in the after- 
noon. We were allowed to take our arms with us. 

We visited all the neighbors living in the imme- 
diate vicinity of the lady's residence, and they all 
confirmed what we had heard of her disloyalty. Wo 
then went to her house, but found that she was ab- 
sent. The members of her family said that she was 
not disloyal, but very strongly sympathized with the 
secession movement. Her negroes said she was se- 
cesh. We were treated courteously by the family, 
and urged to stay to dinner, which we did. While 
the dinner was being prepared, we enlivened the 
time by narrating our camp stories, very much to 
their amusement. When we were about to take our 



20 THE GKKAT AMKKICAN 

departure, we were nivited to come the next day and 
bring onr Lieutenant. Tlio invitation was pressed so 
" hard that we promised to coine. 

At the hour specified, we reported to our Lieuten- 
ant, and gave him all the information that we had 
gathered concerning the woman's disloyalty and the 
feeling that existed against her among her neighbors. 
It was determined, in consequence of the insult that 
we had received, and her known sympathy with the 
enemy, to lay the matter before the Colonel on our 
return to the regiment. 

The next day was very rainy, so we did not repeat 
our visit as we had promised to do. About the middle 
of the afternoon we were very much surprised by the 
appearance of Colonel Force at the fort. Had he come 
in the night it would not have surprised us, because 
he had become proverbial for " making the rounds," 
especially in bad weather. At the time of his arrival 
the Lieutenant was absent, inspecting the other forts. 

The manner of the Colonel seemed strange. He 
was very inquisitive about our rations — whether they 
held out and whether we had had any other than 
Government rations ; he also inquired whether any 
of us had been absent from the fort at any time. I 
then told him of our trip the day before. He then 
inquired if we had any of us been there since, and 
we answered in the negative, He then inspected 
our ration-boxes, and the ground all about the fort, 
examining carefully the wood-pile, fence-corners, and 
bushes, evidently looking for somethingon the ground. 
After havin,? finished his search he did not seem sa- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 2i 

tisfied, l)iit acted as if he was disappointed in some- 
thing. We were all sure that "something was up." 

Having finished his inspection, he told me to get 
my gun and he would drill me in the manual while 
he was waiting for the return of the Lieutenant. I 
got along finely in all the movements until he gave 
the command, "Charge — hayonet." 

It being the most natural for me, I brought my 
piece down to my left side, with a half- face to the left 
instead of to the right, as I ought to have done. 

" Not so, not so — the other way; there — fix it so," 
said the Colonel, fixing it in its proper position. 

" I can never charge bayonet that way." 

" Hold it fast ; let me try it," said he, putting his 
hand against the muzzle of the piece. 

" I will if I can." He pushed, and over I went to 
the ground. Springing up and resuming my old po- 
sition of half- face to the left. " You can't do that 
again ; now try." 

The Colonel did try, but could not budge me. He 
then told me to put up my gun. I had become ex- 
tremely anxious to know what had brought him over, 
and I resolved to give him a hint to that effect ; so 
I said to him, "Colonel, you must like the military 
profession pretty wellP^ 

"Why so? what makes you think that?" 

" Because you came all the way over here from 
Cincinnati y^s^ to drill 'nie^ 

The Colonel smiled, but he said nothing. By this 
time the Lieutenant made his appearance. The Col- 
onel took him on side and had some private conver- 



22 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

sation, and then left. We learned from the Lieute- 
nant that complaint had been made at the head- 
quarters that a squad of men from the forts had been 
to ]\Irs. 's house the night before and taken pos- 
session with fixed bayonets, and demanded meat, 
butter, chickens, and potatoes, and threatened if the 
articles demanded were not given them, they would 
help themselves. The lady remonstrated, and finally 
begged of them not to disturb her property, but all to 
710 purpose. They then helped themselves to such 
articles as they wanted, including about thirty 
chickens. 

The Lieutenant seemed surprised to hear such re- 
ports about his men. He questioned us closely, as 
the Colonel had done, but all to no purpose ; every 
man denied knowing any thing about the outrage. 
He searched the premises for any traces of chickens, 
such as offal, bones, or feathers, but none could be 
found. 

The lady had represented to the Colonel that the 
soldiers that committed the outrage wore dark blue 
blouses, and carried muskets with bayonets. The 
soldiers of no other regiment about there wore that 
kind of uniform or carried that kind of arms. When 
the Colonel left Fort Stuart, he went over to the 
Beech woods Battery, and there the same investigation 
was made, but with no better result. Five of the men 
that accompanied me to the lady's house were taken 
over to see if they would be identified as having been 
there in the night, but the members of the family 
said they were not among the number. It was then 



SCOUT AND SPY. 23 

arranged that the members of the family should go 
over to the barracks the day that we would return, 
and see if they could identify the men on dress pa- 
rade, that did the mischief 

During the balance of our stay at the forts, the 
Lieutenant was very strict v^th us, and watched 
narrowly every movement that we made, but dis- 
covered no evidence of guilt. On our way back to 
the barracks, as we passed through the streets of New- 
port and Cincinnati, we seemed to be observed with 
more than usual interest, on account of the notoriety 
given us by the report. Dress parade came, and with 
it two members of the family, one a son of the lady, 
to point out the guilty soldiers. When the parade was 
over the companies were all dismissed but company 
'' H." The two persons then passed along the line, 
and succeeded in pointing out one man. He was a 
man of unexceptionable character, and the very last 
man in the company that would have been guilty of 
such a thing ; and besides he had been on duty at 
the fort next to the river, which was more than three 
miles distant from the lady's house. 

Whatever suspicions the ofhcers of the company 
might have had of their men, ' they were then 
well convinced that an innocent man had been 
wrongfully accused. The Colonel still believed that 
some of the men in the conipany had done it. It was 
then arranged that the son should return the next 
day and bring another member of the family — a 
young man that was teaching there — and see if he 
would have any better success. 



24 



THE GREAT A:\IERICAN 



Passes were prohibited us for ten days. Each one 
of the men on detail at the forts were examined se- 
parately, and I was called in for examination several 
times. After he had questioned me over and over 
again, T said to him, "Look here Colonel, that would 
he a smart trick for new recruits, wouldn't it? 
Besides, they tell me. Colonel, that you are like a 
comet ; that you come when no man knoweth it. 
Supposing that you had "made the rounds" that night, 
and found the men gone. Cy and hy the guard would 
call out, 'Halt! who comes there?' What would have 
been the reply ? I tell you, Colonel, United States 
soldiers don't get disgraced that Avay !" 

The Colonel then walked his room back and forth, 
as if in a deep study, then facing me, said : "Is this 
the first time you were ever caught in a scrape of 
this kind ?" 

"You have'nt caught me in this yct^'' I replied. 

"That will do," said he, "yon are either innocent 
or very tcell drilled! You can go to your quarters." 

The next afternoon the two young men came over. 
When they arrived, the battalion was on drill except 
the new recruits. While watching the drill, the son 
of the lady undertook to point out to the man that 
accompanied him the person that he had previously 
pointed out. That, I thought, was not fair. I told 
the new recruits v/hat was being done and tlicy ah 
began to gather around tlie two young men to 
frighten them off. Some would cackle like hens ; 
some crow like roosters ; some pinned paper on their 
coat-tails; others would slip pork rinds into their coat 



SCOUT ,", Ni» sri'. 25 

pocket.s, and then accuse them of stealing soap 
grease froin the jjoor soldiers ! 

It was a rougher reception than they had bargained 
for, and as soon as the crowd opened they broke for 
the street and never came back again. 

The "chicken scrape" is among the incidents of the 
past. Several of the men of the detachment that 
were in the forts at that time have nobly sacrificed 
their lives, and others their health, in the cause of 
their country; and, however well they loved chickens, 
they have all since proved themselves brave, heroic 
soldiers. In a future reckoning, the depredations 
committed that night will vanish when weighed by 
the " hurrahs for Jeff. Davis" by the lady in the 
carriage. . 

I leave the reader to draw his own conclusions, 
but I am "inclined to think that somehochj got the, 
chickens. 



THE GREAT AMERICAN 



CHAPTER III . 

"Marching orders" — First battle — Arrives at Fort Donelson — The sur- 
render — Goes North with prisoners — Meets an old friend as a rebel 
Captain — The Captain attempts to bride him — Expedition up the 
Tennessee River — Touching incident — Battle of Shiloh — Captures an 
Enfield — Eecommeuded as a scout. 

On the 9th day of February, 1862, the regiment 
received "marching orders." It was a day of hurry 
and excitement. The order was received with de- 
light by the men, for they had become tired of the 
dull monotony of guard duty, and were eager for a 
change. 

It was a wet day, and the streets were filled with 
mud and slush from the rain and melting snow, and 
our feet dragged heavily as we marched to the levee, 
but nevertheless, our hearts were light and cheerful. 
Little did we realize the hardship, the privations, and 
the sufferings that were in store for us, or think of 
the change that would take place ere we returned to 
the soil of ovir own loved State. 

Two transports — the Emma Duncan and the Dr. 
Kane — were ready for us at the levee, and we em- 
barked on board of them, and wore soon under way. 
At Warsaw, Ky., we took on board two companies 
that had been doing duty there, and then proceeded 
on our way. We had an abundance of room — which 



SCOUT AND SPV. 2T 

added much to our conifort — and a pleasant trip all 
the way to Padiicah, Ky., where we reported for orders 
on the loth of February. 

We were immediately ordered to report to Gen- 
eral U. S. Grant, near Fort Donelson, without delay, 
and in a few hours, avo were under way. We reach- 
ed our destination Friday afternoon, February 14th. 
The fighting had commenced, and at the time of our 
arrival our gun-boats were engaged with the rebel 
batteries in sight of where we landed. 

The regiment was ordered to report to Colonel — 
since Brigadier-General — Mc Arthur, commanding a 
brigade on the extreme right of the Federal lines. 
To reach our position we had to make a march often 
miles. The weather was cold, and the ground cov- 
ered with several inches of snow. We started very 
early on the morning of the 15th to take our position. 
Being unused to marching with heavy knapsacks, the 
march was fatiguing to us in the extreme. We suc- 
ceeded, however, in getting our position in line of 
battle by 10 o'clock, A. M. 

At the time we took our position the battle was 
raging with intense fury. The roar of jnusketry, the 
crash of artillery, the scream of shells, the whiz of 
bullets, and the sight of the dead and wounded were 
not calculated to fill the minds of inexperienced sol- 
diers with very pleasant sensations; nevertheless, 
every man of the regiment exhibited a coolness and 
firmness that would do honor to veterans in battle. 

The Colonel ordered "by companies, right wheel, 
unsling knapsacks. Battalion — 4 ranks, right face. 



28 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

Anns port, forward and double quick." Wewentabout 
80 rods toward the front, wlieii the command came, 
"Halt," and ''side steps to the left— front." The road 
we went down on was all covered with blood, dead 
and wounded on either side, a horrible sight, indeed, 
for raw recruits. 

Down went the Chicago Battery, drawn by six 
horses. "When the horses began to smell the powder 
and saw the blood, their eyes flashed fire, their ears 
were laid back, their mouths wide open, and they 
seemed inspired with a new intelligence, and dashed 
on like a thunder bolt into the midst of the enemy's 
ranks. The Colonel then gave commend, "Right face, 
forward !" We moved down in front of the enemy 
and formed the line of battle, and stood in the posi- 
tion of order arms ! 

Soon we saw the rebel Cavalry, 1500 strong, move 
up on the top of a hill, and drawing their sabres, 
with a shout, at fall speed, they charged upon us. 
My nerves began to twitch and my hair stood up, 
and I said to my comrades, "Yonder they come, boys, 
naw let us give it to them !"' On they came ! — The 
Colonel ordered us to fire, and we went at it in earnest. 
The enemy were repulsed with great slaughter and 
driven into their works. We were in the fight about 
one hour, and our guns' were so hot that we could 
scarcely hold them. This was about 10 A. M. At 
20 minutes before 4 o'clock we engaged their infantry 
for one honr and 40 minutes, in which time we had 
160 men killed, besides the wounded. 

Toward night the enemy withdrew within his for- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 20 

tificatioiLs. That jiiglit we slept on our arms, in line 
of battle, on the snow covered ground, expectin;^ to 
renew the battle in the morning. The next morn- 
ing — Sunday — about nine o'clock, the news came 
that Fort Donelson had surrendered. 

Such shouts as went up from that army had never 
been heard before. From one end of the line to the 
other, cheer after cheer went up, until it seemed as 
if the trees of the forest were repeating the shouts. 
It was a glorious victory! It exceeded by far any vie- 
tory previously achieved since the commencement of 
the rebellion. Over 15,000 prisoners were captured, 
besides an immense amount of artillery and small 
arms. 

The 20th Ohio was one of the regiments that was 
detailed to guard the prisoners to the North. Com- 
panies A and II were assigned to the steamer Em- 
press, and were intrusted with the guarding of 2,300 
prisoners. Soon after daylight on Monday morning 
we were on our way down the Cum.berland River. 

Nothing of unusal interest occurred until we ar- 
rived at Bloody Island, opposite St.Louis, Mo., where 
we Avere to land the prisoners and embark them on 
board the cars for Chicago, 111. It was in the even 
ing when we arrived there, and the prisoners remained 
on board until the next day. 

I was on guard that night, and my post was at 
the gangway, with instructions to prevent, at all haz- 
ards, any attempt of prisoners to go ashore. About 
1 o'clock at night a rebel Captain stepped up to me, 
and addressing me by name, said, " How are you? ' 



30 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

I recognized liiin ais an old friend by the name 
of Captain Brown, with whom I had formed an ac- 
quaintance at Island No. Twenty-eight, in the sum- 
mer of 1852. At that time he was the owner and 
captain ofthe Memphis and Nashville packet steamer 
Sligo, When the rebellion broke out he raised a 
company at Nashville, tind was made a captain in 
the — th Tennessee Infantry. At one time, while in 
difficulty in Memphis, Captain Brown had rendered 
me valuable assistance. 

*' How are yon? "said I, as soon as I discovered who 
it was. " What are you doing here? " 

"I'm a prisoner, and my old friend is guarding me." 

" Yes, I ^ee! Quite a change since you and I last 
met. " 

" Yes, something of a change! I hardly expected 
to meet you in arms against me! You have lived a 
long time in the South. Do you think that you are 
doing exactly right to take up arms against us? " 

*' The old government and the old flag are good 
enough for me, " I replied, " and I mean to stick by 
them so long as I live. " 

" Do you expect to pin the States together again 
with bayonets? " he asked. 

" I don't know whether we shall ^nn the States to- 
gether again or not ; but I do know one thing, we'll 
have the soil bach again, whether we have the peo- 
ple or not. " 

" See liere! " said he. " Do you remember of my 
assisting you one time in Memphis, when you was in 
trouble? " 



SCOUT AND SPY. 31 

"Certainly I do I And you had my gratitude for it." 

" Well, I am in trouble. Can yon render me any 
assistance?*' 

"lAvm,ifIcan." 

" Well, you can.'' 

"llow?^' 

" By letting irie cross your "beat and go ashore." 

'• / cant do that.'' 

*' Why nof? I helped you ; why not help me?" 

" Because I am no traitor to my country! I never 
asked you to raise your hand against your country 
to assist me." 

" Here take this watch ; perhaps I can buy you," 
said he, offering me a splendid g(3hl watch. 

" Not much, you can't buy me ! I think too much 
of the stars and stripes for that." 

" Take it," said he, '• and let me cross your beat, 
and I'll give you a hundred dollars in gold besides." 

"/ cant do it,'^ said I; ^'dont you ask me again.'' 

Captain Brown went away quite disappointed, sat- 
isfied, I presume, that gold was iiot at par with 
genuine patriotism. 

We guarded the prisoners to Camp Douglas, near 
Chicago, 111., where wo remained nine days, and then 
returned to Bloody Island, were wc arrived on the 
Gth day of ]Marcli. That night the regiment embarked 
on board the steamer Continental, for Padncah, Ky., 
which place we reached in tiine to join iu the grand 
expedition up the Tennessee River. 

At Padncah, General Sherman and staff came on 
board the Continental, and made it his head-quarters; 



oJ THE GREAT AMERICAN 

and that boat, preceded by the gun-boats, led the fleet. 

When under way, that vast fleet of steamers, load- 
ed down witli troops, as tliey moved along, one after 
another, at nearly equal distances apart, presented a 
grand and imposing appearance. The weather was 
mild and pleasant, which added much to the interest 
of the trip. The banks of the river often presented 
crowds of people that had gathered to witness 
the grand display of force that was penetrating the 
territory of the rebellion. Sometimes we were cheered 
by the crowds that lined the banks, indicating their 
loyalty, and at other times a sullen silence told 
plainly that we were not welcome. 

One little incident occurred thati shall never forget. 
AVe had on board a citizen of Tennessee, who owned 
a large plantation on the left bank of the Tennessee 
B-iver, about eight miles below Savannah. He was an 
exile from lioine on account of his devotion to the 
Union. An attempt was made by his neighbors to 
capture and hang him, but he succeeded in- making 
his escape, and in getting through to Paducah, Ky., 
after having suffered a great deal from hunger and 
exposure, incident to traveling by night, through 
forests and swamps, to evade discovery. The last that 
his family had heard from him was that his disloyal 
neighbors were in pursuit of him, detennined to 
hang him, and they did not know whether he was 
still living. 

As we neared his plantation, a group of persons 
was observed standing on the bank of the river not far 
from his residence. lie requested the captain of the 



SCOUT AND SPY, o6 

"boat, as we passed, to run the boat near the shore, 
so that he might recognize his wife and children, if 
they were there. The crowd on the deck of the 
steamer moved back, to give him a large clear space, 
that his family might more readily recognize him. 
As the boat neared the shore the group proved to be 
his wife, children and servants, gazing with intense 
interest at the passing fleet. It was a touching scene, 
when that exile from home recognized his loved ones. 

"I am alive ! It is me!" he shouted, swinging his 
hat. " I am coming home! Glory to God ! The Union 
forever! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory!" etc. He jum- 
ped and shouted as if in ecstasies of delight. 

Such manifestations of love for home and country 
are unmistakable evidences of patriotism and loyalty. 
The incident is but one of thousands that have been 
witnessed in the prosecution of the v/ar. 

From that time on, nothing of special interest oc- 
cured in my experience until the battle of Shiloh, or 
Pittsburg Landing. The battle was fought on the 
Gth and 7th of April, 1SG2. I acted my part in that 
bloody conflict, but the details of the battle I must 
leave to the pen of the historian. At that battle I 
succeeded in capturing an Enfield rifle. My "hand- 
spike" was turned o^'-er, and with it dissipated the 
disjiust with which I had carried it. 

The next day after the battle of Shiloh, a circular 
was sent to the company commanders, from brigade 
head-quarters, requesting them to send in the names 
of such men as were trustworthy and suitable for 
scouts. The Captain sent in my name as one, which 
3 



'34 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

opened the way for the experiences that I shall nar- 
rate in the following chapters. 

Early in Jnne, soon after the evaonation of Corinth, 
the 20th Ohio Hegiment moved to Bolivar, and soon 
after to Grand Junction, Tenn. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 35 



CHAPTER IV. 

Rumored attack upon GraiulJtmction — "General Bunker" sent out as spy 
— Passes liinisolf as a rebel soldier — Falls in Avitli rebel cavalry — Visits 
a rebel camp — Attempts to deprive liim of liis revolver — Discovers a 
Yankee forage party — Undertakes to return — Captured by Yankees, 
and robbed of his revolver and money — Passes as a rebel spy — Sent to 
tlie Provost MarsLal — Sent to General llurlbut — Returned to Grand 
Junction. 

Soon after the evacuation of Corinth by the forces 
under General Beauregard, a part of General Grant's 
army was distributed along the Ohio and Mississippi 
and the Mississipi^i Central, and also the Memphis 
and Charleston RailiXDads, to gaTrison the principal 
towns and open up communication for supplies by 
railroad instead of by the Tennessee River, v/hich 
was becoming so low as to be an uncertain route for 
supplies. 

At the time I speak of. Grand Junction was gar- 
isoned by a small brigade of infantry and a battery 
of artillery, nnder command of Brigadier-General 
M. D. Leggett. Grand Junction is situated on the 
Mississippi Central Bailroad at its junction with the 
Memphis and Charleston Bailroad, and was an ex- 
posed outpost. 

A rumor had become current amonof the citizens 
that a large force of the enemy's cavalry was in the 



36 THE GREAT AMERICA:; 

vicinity, preparing to capture the brigade garrisoning 
the post. General Grant, who was still at Jackson, 
Tenn., informed General Leggett hy telegraph that 
his command was in danger; that an attempt would 
be made to capture his force ; that he would be at- 
tacked on his right by cavalry and on his left by in- 
fantry, and advised him to vacate the place and fall 
back to Bolivar, twenty miles north of Grand Junc- 
tion, where the Mississippi Central Railroad crosses 
the Ilatchee River. The enemy's force was represen- 
ted to be 9000 cavaJry at Davis' Mills, and three bri- 
gades of cavalry at what is known as the White 
Church, on Wolf Reiver, the former nine and the latter 
twelve miles from Grand Junction, in a south-west 
direction. An additional force of a division of infantry 
were said to be at Salem, seventeen miles south-east 
of Grand Junction. 

General Leggett had some doubts about the rebels 
having very much force near the place, and the large 
quantities of cotton that Avere being brought in, and 
the abundance of corn for forage, made it an object 
to hold the place as long as prudence would admit, 
and he resolved to ascertain whether there was any 
cause for alarm before vacating it. 

General Leggett sent for me and told me what he 
wanted, and asked me if I was willing to undertake 
the job. It was the first opportunity that I had ever 
had of working as a spy, and I had for a long time 
been anxious to try my hand at it, and I felt certain 
that I could do the Government more good in that 
way than in any other. It was my time to strike and 



SCOUT AND SPY. 37 

I determined to improye it. I told General Leggett 
that I was willing to try, and would do the best 
that I could, and if I got back safe, "all right;" if 
not, iny fate would be no worse than that of others 
before me. 

I returned to m'y quarters and made the necessary 
arrangements, and the next morning, at daylight, I 
started out on the road to Salem, disguised as a Con- 
federate soldier belonging to infantry. 

A confederate commissioned officer, disguised in ci- 
tizen's dress, was standing by and heart Gen. Leggett 
give the order, and watched carefully the instructions. 
He went then to the Provost Marshal to obtain a 
pass to go out on the same road and at the same time 
of my instruction. 

James E. Bader, Corporal of the Provost Guard, 
Avas standing by and saw him paying particular at- 
tention to my instructions and the road I was to take. 
After he had received his pass, Bader said to Captain 
Jacobs, the Provost Marshal, " That fellow Avas 
watching Bunker's instructions, when Gen. Leofsfett 
gave them." "I don't like the looks of him," said 
the Captain, " he will be obliged to call here in the 
morning to get his pass dated, and I will give him an 
examination." 

At sunrise next morning, about an hour after I had 
started, he appeared with two ladies, in a buggy, 
from which he sprang, and went into the office of the 
Provost Marshal for the date of his pass, The ex- 
amination resulted in the capture of an officer in 
the rebel army, two navy revolvers and a sword 



38 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

under the buggy seat, where the two hidies were 
sitting, which saved me from difficulty, and another 
prisoner was sent North for violation of the oath of 
allegiance. 

Thanks to James E. Bader, for had this man re- 
ceived his pass, it would probably have been the last 
of Bunker, and this book had never been written. 

The day was clear and pleasant, and a recent 
shower had laid the dust and cooled the air, and 
made it much pleasanter traveling than is apt to be 
the case in that country in the month of July. I was 
on foot, and the coolness of the atmosphere very much 
facilitated my progress. I was not interrupted until 
I had gone about eight miles, when I observed, as I 
approached a planter's house, a negro woman in the 
yard, engaged in churning Being somewhat fond 
of buttermilk, I resolved to pay the inmates a visit. 
As I drew near the house, a lady came to the door, 
and, observing my Confederate uniform, seenled 
pleased to see me, and asked me, to walk in and be 
seated, to which I complied. 

" Where have you been ?" she inquired. 

" I have been out to the Yankee pickets, and had 
a fi2:ht with them last ni^fht and killed three of the 
Yankee scamps. They killed my horse for me in the 
light, and I am going back to Salem to got another 
that I left there. I have walked until I am tired. 
Seeing a woman churning in the yard, I thought I 
would stop and rest myself, and see if you would 
have the kindness to give mo a drink of buttermilk." 

" I am glad you did. You shall have all the butter- 



SCOUT AND SPY. i 39 

milk you want. You are not a-gwine to walk to 
Salem, are you?" 

" Yes. I've got another horse there, and I don't 
like to trouble any body for the use of one." 

'•Well, now, you are not a-gwine to walk down 
thar; we've got heaps o'horses and mules, and you 
.shall have one to ride. Bob! Bob! " calling to a dar- 
key in the yard, " you run right quick to the cotton- 
gi]i and fetch your master." 

While Bob went on a double-quick for his master, 
the lady ordered me some buttermilk and wheat bis- 
cuit. While I was eating, the planter came in. 

" Lord bless you, John!" exclaimed the lady, as 
her husband entered, " here is one o^ our soldiers, and 
he lias had a fight with the Yankee pickets and has 
killed three of them! lie says he's gwine to walk 
to Salem after another horse. I tell him that he's 
not a-gwine to walk when we've got heaps o' mules! 
I think any of our soldiers that has killed three 
Yankees is entitled to a mule to ride!" 

" You can have a mule in welcome; there's no oc- 
casion for you to walk," said the planter, 

" Thank you!" said I, " I am under very great ob- 
ligations to you for your kindness, but it may not bo 
possible for me to return this way. I will not take 
a mule, but I am a thousand times obliged to you." 

With many blessings from them, and an urgent / 
invitation to call if I returned, I took my departure. 
When about twelve miles from Grand Junction, I was 
overtaken by a squad of thirteen rebel cavalry, includ- 
ing one Sergeant, undcrcommandofa Lieutenant. 



40 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

"How are yon, boys?" said I, as they came np. 

"Finel'said the Lioatenant. " IIow do you do?" 

" I'm gettmg ])rett?/ near ivell, I thank yon." 

"Where do you belong?" he inquu-ed. 

" To the loth Tennessee Infantry, Col. Vaughn'« 
regiment." 

" Ah — yes, yes; he's all right. I remember of see- 
ing him in Corinth last spring," said the Sergeant; 
" I have a cousin in the same regiment." 

"Where do yon belong?" I inquired. 

"To Jackson's First Battalion of Cavalry," an- 
swered the Lieutenant. " Where are you gwine?" 

" I am gwine down to my regiment," said I. "I 
have been sick, and have been home in Osceola, 
Mississippi County, Arkansas, and I am gwine 
down to Salem to report myself to the nearest 
head-quarters. I have heard that there is some of 
our forces there, and I want to find out where my 
regiment is." 

" You are mistaken," said the Lieutenant ; "there 
is none of our forces there. And besides, it is not 
necessary for you to report at any head-quarters. Your 
regiment is at Tupelo, where you will have no diffi- 
culty in getting to it. We have some spare horses 
hero ; get on one of them and ride." 

I mounted one of the horses and rode along witli 
them. I learned, from conversation with them, that 
their regiment was stationed at Tupelo, Miss., and 
that they v/ere detailed to traverse the country and 
visit all the planters, and tell them to haul their cotton, 
corn, and bacon to a place known as the Double 



SCOUT AND SPY. 41 

Block-house, where it would he guarded to prevent 
the Yankees from stealing it. 

We only went about a mile after I mounted the 
horse before we turned to the right, and half a 
mile more brought us to the double log-house. At 
that place three regiments of infantry were camped, 
and their principal object appeared to be to guard 
the stuff that the planters were hauling in for pro- 
tection Several thousand bushels of corn and large 
quantities of bacon had already been hauled there. 

We dismounted and remained in the camp about 
an hour. While there the Lieutenant told me that 
I had better not bo in a hurry about going to Tupelo ; 
" for," said he, " the times are rather tough for a 
man just recovering from sickness, and the rations 
are not such as a sick man can relish." He told 
me that he was going round on the lower Tupelo 
road in a day or two, and that I had better run Avitli 
them till that time, and he would put me on a 
road where I would find clever people and plenty to 
eat. It all seemed very good advice, and favorable 
to my purpose, and so I accepted it. 

The balance of the day was spent in visiting every 
plantation on the roads to the west and north of the 
block-house, and when we halted for the night we 
were within three miles of Davis' Mills. 

There I was like to have a little difficulty with 
the Sergeant. I had with me a very nice navy re- 
volver that I had borrowed of Colonel Force pre- 
paratory to starting out. The Sergeant discovered 
that I had it, and was going to take it away from me. 



42 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

*' What business has an infantry soldier with such 
a revolver as that ? " said the Sergeant. '' Infantry 
soldiers do n't need them, and cavalry soldiers do. 
It will never do you any good if you keep it ; so 
give it to me." 

" Sergeant," said I, " you are superior to me in 
rank, and if you insist I shall have to ohey ; but if 
you take that revolver away from me I'il report you 
to Billy Jackson ! I v*^ill indeed ! " 

" Sergeant," said the Lieutenant, who heard our 
words, " if Colonel Vaughn is willing that his men 
should carry such things, it is none of our business. 
Let the soldier keep his revolver ! " 

" Thank you. Lieutenant," said I. " I prize that 
revolver very highly. I bought it in Memphis, about 
the time the war commenced, to kill the infernal 
Yanks with, and when I enlisted Colonel Vaughn 
told me that I might carry it, and I mean to do it." 

" That's right ! " said the Lieutenant. " Turn up 
as many of the Yankee moccasins with it as you can ! 
Soldier, what road did you come in on this morning ? " 

" I came down on the Somerville road, across the 
Hickory flats, by the old man Pruett's, and then 
over on to the Salem and Grand Junction road." 

" You came a very good route, indeed." 

" I am aware of that, I replied. " I know this 
here country all through in her3. Lieutenant, where 
did you boys stay last night ? " 

"At Davis' Mills." 

" Have n't we got a cavalry force there ? " 

" No. There was only us fourteen there last night." 



SCOUT AND SPY. 43 

" The old man Pruett told me yesterday that there 
was, that we had three hrigades of cavalry at the 
White Church on Wolf River." • 

" The old man was mistaken. There is none of 
our forces nearer than Tupelo, except the three reg-i- 
ments that you sav/ to-day, and a few of the same 
company that I belong to, that are scattered about 
the country on the same business that we are on." 

In the morning our operations of notifying the plan- 
ters was renewed, and our route lay along the bottoms 
of Davis Creek, toward its headwaters. About noon 
we very unexpectedly found a Yankee forage party. 

"There is some of the Yanks now!" said the Lieu- 
tenant, 

"Where?" said I. 

" There, up on the top of the hill to the left," said 
he, pointing toward them. 

I looked, and sure enough there they were. There 
was about thirty of the Yankees, and eight teams. 
They had halted to feed, and had stacked arms. They 
did not see us. We moved along a little further to n. 
cow-path that led to the right up a ridge of ground 
parallel to the one occupied by the Yankees. The 
hollow that intervened was filled with a growth of 
bushes extending to the path which we were in, 
which screened us from view and enabled us to ap- 
proach within one hundred yards of the Yankees 
without being seen. 

I now recognized the detachment as belonging to 
my own regiment, and one of the men was 7ny own 
hunh-mate ^ 



44 



THE GREAT AMERICAN 



The Lieutenant told ns to be quiet and not to speak 
a word, and if the Yankees ventured away from their 
arms, we would make a dash upon them and capture 
their arms and mules, and burn the wagons. Little 
did they mistrust the relation that I bore to these 
Yankees, I determined, if a dash was attempted, to 
do what execution I could upon my butternut com- 
panions with my revolver, hoping to dispose of four 
or five of them before my true relation was discovered. 
It was a moment of fearful suspense as we watched 
those Federal soldiers; but my butternut companions 
were too deeply interested in the watch to observe 
any feelings that my actions might have betrayed. 

For about twenty minutes we watched them, but 
they did not move away from their arms. The Lieu- 
tenant, fearing his own safety might be endangered 
by too long a stay, silently withdrew his men, and 
made his way back toward Davis' Mills by another 
route. That night we stayed at a planter's house, 
ten miles from Grand Junction. 

At three o'clock the next morning we were again 
on the move, and a two hours ride brought us to four 
corners in the road somewhere south-westof Lagrange, 
and three or four miles distant from that place. There 
we halted, and the Lieutenant told me that one of 
the roads was the one that I needed to take to go to 
Tupelo He gave me the names of several planters 
that lived on the road, and advised me to stop two 
or three days at a place and recruit my health ail I 
could on the way to my regiment, and assured me 
that the planters he had named were clever people, 



SCOUT AND srv. 45 

and that I would be welcome with any of them. I 
thanked him and hade him a good morning, and 
started on the road that he had pointed out, not car- 
ing whether it led to Tupelo or not, if I could get 
away from him and his squad. 

As soon as the cavalry was out of sight, I made a 
detour through a large cotton-field to my left, and 
continued on until I came into a road that I supposed 
led direct to Grand Junction ; while in company with 
the cavalry, we had zigzagged through the country 
so much that I had become somewhat confused, and 
I was not sure where the road did lead to. I took it, 
however, and moved along as fast as possible, that I 
might escape the squad if by chance they should be 
scattered by a dash of our cavalry, and some of them 
should find me going toward Grand Junction instead 
of Tupelo. I kept a sharp look-out as I moved 
along, and had gone, as near as I could judge, three 
miles, when I was very unexpectedly interrupted in 
my course by a challenge of " Halt ! halt !" 

I was considerably alarmed, for I supposed that I 
must have encountered a rebel picket. On looking 
to see where the cliallenge came from, I found that it 
emanated from a Federal picket. A clump of bushes 
had prevented me from seeing him until I was close 
on to him. My position was clear enough now. I had 
taken a road to Lagrange, instead of Grand Junction;' 
and had encountered General Hurlbut's pickets. 

" Ila ! ha ! my butternut soldier ! " excUiimed the 
guard, as I halted ; " you got caught rather unex- 
pectedly." 



46 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

" I reckon I did," I replied. 

" Where do you belong ?" 

" To the 13th Tennessee." 

" You've got tired soldiering on short rations, i 
suppose ? " 

" I reckon I a' n't starved yet." 

One of the pickets then took me to the Captain in 
command, at the reserve. There I was subjected to 
a rigid questioning and search, but I was determined 
to carry out my disguise until I could report to som.e 
commanding officer. My revolver and money, and 
other articles, were taken from me by the Captain, 
and then I was ordered to stand up by a tree until 
further orders. I remonstrated with the Captain 
about depriving me of my revolver and private prop- 
erty, and told him that '' we always respected a pris- 
oner's right to his side arms and personal effects. 
The Captain replied that I might be glad to get off 
so, and if he had his way about it, he would shoot 
every rebel in the Southern Confederacy. 

While standing at the tree, I observed a plantation 
house that stood within less than a hundred yards from 
me, and that it was occupied. My early start and the 
distance I had traveled gave me a ravenous appetite, 
so I asked the Captain if he would be so kind as to 
allow me to go to the house and get some breakf\ist. 

" Yes," said he, " you may go ; but if you under- 
take to get away, I'll have you shot !" 

"I won't run away," I replied; "I did n't coine in 
here to run away. I'll come right back as soon as 
I get my breakfast." 



SCOUT AND SPY. 47 

When I got to the house, I met the man of the 
house at the door. He had evidently seen me coming, 
and my uniform attracted his attention. 

" Good morning !" said I, as he came out. 

" Good morning ; won't you come in ?" 

"Yes, I don't care if I do; and I should like right 
well to get some hreakfast here, if you please, for I 
am mighty hungry." 

" Walk in ; you shall have all the breakfast you 
want. Where do you belong?" 

"To Col. Vaughn's regiment, the 13th Tennessee." 

"You do?" 

"Yes." 

" Well, I belong to Colonel Strawl's regiment, the 
4th Tennessee. I am a Brigade surgeon of the 2nd 
Brigade, which includes yoiQ- regiment; my name is 
Biggs. What is your name ? " 

"My name is Rugglcs. I am a brother to General 
Ruggles." 

" Is it possible ! I know tliG General very well. 
What are you doing up here ?" 

" I am going through the Yankee lines to-day, if 
I can." 

" You are ? A'n't you afraid they 'ii get youV 

"No; I expect they '11 get me into the guard-houso, 
but I '11 soon manage to got out." 

" Well, do the best that you can. If they do get 
you into the guard-house, you sh'an't want for any- 
thing to eat. I'll see to that myself" 

Brcakf?..st was announced as ready for me, and I 
sat up to the table. They had got me fried ham. 



48 THE Gr.EAT AMERICAN 

baked sweet potatoes, warm biscuit with butter and 
honey, and cofFee with sugar and cream. I think the 
condition of my appetite enabled me to do that meal 
ample justice. When I had finished, I asked the 
doctor how much I should pay him. 

"Oh, Lord ! not a cent ! Do you think I 'd charge 
one of our soldiers for a meal of Adctuals ! I feel 
thankful that I have it to give you!" Then turning, 
and pointing tovv-ard the pickets, he said, "But them 
Yankee thieves down there I make pay m^e fifty cents 
for a meal of nothing but bread and meat !" 

"You 've got them rightly named, doctor," said I; 
"for they took my revolver and my money, and every 
thing else I had, avray from me this morning." 

" You needn't be surprised at such treatment as 
that, ' said he; "for there are officers down there that 
would steal the Lord's supper, and men that would 
confiscate the table-cloths ! " 

" You are about right, doctor ; but I see they are 
looking as if uneasy about me, and I must go back." 

"Well," said he, "if you get into trouble, I '11 do 
all I can for you. I have got things fixed pretty 
smooth between me and the pickets, and I think I 
can help you carry out your plans." 

" Ilavn't you taken the oath, doctor ? " 

" Oh, yes ! I had to do that in order to get along 
smoothly." 

" Well, ypu be careful and not get yourself into 
any scrape by it. I would a.dvise you to say nothing, 
and if I get into the guard-house, you see that I gei 
plenty to eat, and I '11 wriggle out some way." 



SCOUT AND SPY. 40 

I then bid him good-bye, and returned to my posi- 
tion by the tree. When the new pickets came out to 
relieve the old ones, two of the old guards took me 
in to the Provost-marshal. As I entered his office, 
I was saluted by, "Well, old boss, who arc you?" 

" I am an Arkansas school-master," I replied. 

" What do you want ? " 

" I want to see General Hurlbut." 

" What do you want of General Hurlbut ? " 

" I want to see him. I 've heard that he 's a very 
red-faced man, and I want to see for myself hov/ he 
looks!" 

" Yes, you ivant to see him ! You'll go to the 
guard-house ! " 

" No, I won't ! " 

" Who are you ? " 

" You give me those two guards and send ma to 
General Hurlbut, and find out who I am ! " 

"Guards," said he, "take him off; take him down 
to General Hurlbut's. 

The guards took me to the General's quarters, and 
one of them went in and told the General that they 
had got a follovv^ that they had captured at the picket- 
line, and that ho was dressed like a rebel soldier, and 
that the Provost-miVishal could not fmd out who he 
was, and had sent him there. The General came out 
of the tent, and seeing who it was, said : 

"Ah, yes ! I know him ! Guards you can ^v> to 
your quarters." 

"Hold on. General, " said I; "the Captain that had 
command of those guards took a revolver away from 
4 



50 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

me that belongs to General Force, and took my pocket- 
book, and every thing else I had in my pockets." 

" What kind of thieving and robbing will take 
place next! Guards, go and tell that Captain to 
march his men up here ! " 

In a few minutes, the Captain marched his men 
into the yard and formed them in a line; when that 
was done, " Captain," said the General, " Give that 
man the things that you robbed him of ! " 

The Captain handed out the articles, one after an- 
other, and last of all he handed me an old fine-tooth 
comh! That was too much for the equanimity of the 
officers and men that were looking on, and they burst 
into a roar of laughter. The poor Captain looked as 
if he would sink into the earth. "That will do," 
said the General, when he had handed me all; "you 
can dismiss 3"our men." 

I told General Ilurlbut the result of my trip, and 
he complimented me very highly upon my success, 
and then gave me a pass to Grand Junction. 

The pass saved me any further annoyance by the 
Federal pickets, and Dr. Biggs from the trouble of 
visiting the guard-house with "commissary supplies." 

I reported my trip to General Leggett, and, for 
some reason, the brigade did not vacate the place for 
more than two weeks after. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 61 



CHAPTER V. 

Fired at by a citizen — Tlic sick overseer — How lie was cured — Pickets 
fired on — Trip to a White Cliurch — Visits General Van Dorn — Meets 
a rebel spy — Eeijorts to General Leggctt — Grand Junction evacuated 
— Again sees tbe rebel spy — Attempts to arrest bim — Drinks wine witb 
tlie rebel General Jackson — Discovers a bole in tbe fence. 

It was my duty, while the brigade remained at 
Grand Junction, to watch for any demonstrations of 
General Van Dorn's, Wheeler's, or Jackson's cavalry. 
For that purpose I used to ride out on the road run- 
ning east and west, that lay three miles to the south 
of Grand Junction. I used to scout that road for 
about ten miles regularly every day. One morning, 
before going out, I called upon Captain Jacobs, Pro- 
vost-marshal of the post, on business. While I was 
there, an overseer that I had frequently seen in my 
scouts came in, and requested a renewal of his pass, 
and a permit to carry out certain articles that he 
wished to purchase. He had with him the oath of 
allegiance. As soon as my business was completed, I 
started out on my scout, as usual, leaving the overseer 
there. I made the trip out, and had returned to within 
a few yards of the overseer's house, when he stepped 
out from a fence-corner, with a squirrel-rifle in his 
hands, and said to me, "Are you a Yankee soldier ? " 



52 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

"No, sir, I 'm not a Yankee soldier, I 'm a Federal 
soldier." 

" What are you doing out here ? " 

"' I 'm watching for rebel cavalry." 

"I'll soon stop your watching Confederate cavalry." 

"Are 3^ou going to shoot me ? " 

He said nothing, but the click of his gun, as he 
cocked it, said " Yes." As he was bringing it to his 
face, I put the spurs to my horse, and as I passed, 
he fired, but missed me. I went in and reported to 
General Leggett, who replied, " You had better look 
out, or some of those good Union men ivill hill you ^ 
He issued no order to have the man arrested ; and 
perhaps it would have done no good if he had, for 
such characters, Avith their oily tongues, areas slippery 
as eels. As a general thing, they manage to evade 
justice, and get released from the Federal authorities. 
I well knew that if the overseer was allowed to live 
undisturbed, my own Jife was in jeopardy, so I tele- 
graphed to General Grant, then at Jackson, Tennessee, 
to know what to do with such a man. His reply was, 
" If you are a scout for the Government, you ought 
to hnow yourself. ^^ 

■ That night I went to the 20th Ohio Infantry and 
got two Sergeants to ^assist me in bringing the over- 
seer to justice, whose real names I shall not give, but 
designate them as the "big Sergeant" and the "little 
Sergeant." Knowing that if we accomplished our 
purpose there would be complaints entered at head- 
quarters the next day, I resolved to proceed as noise- 
lessly about it as possible. Instead of getting the 



SCOUT AND SPY. b6 

countersign, and thus letting it be known that we 
were going out, we stole through the ]iicket line, and 
nobody knew tliat we had left camp. 

It was about four miles to the overseer's house ; 
thither we proceeded. When we came to his yard, 
myself and the little Sergeant went at once to the 
house, and the big Sergeant went to the negro quar- 
ters. The overseer and his family had retired for 
the night. Our rap for admittance was answered 
by "Who is there? " My reply was, "Federal soldiers; 
get up and open the door." The summons was 
obeyed by the overseer's wife. As we entered we 
heard the groans of a man as if in distress, proceeding 
from an adjoining room. On going into the room, I 
found the overseer in bed, and feigning to be labor- 
ing under severe pain. Approaching the bed-side, 
I said to him : " You are sick, are you, old boss ?" 

With great difliculty, seemingly, he answered, 
"Yes— I'm— very sick." 

"IIow long haA^e you been sick?" 

"It's — going on — two weeks — now." 

"You lying whelp," said the little Sergeant, unable 
to contain himself; "I saw you in Grand Junction 
this morning." 

" Get up, old fellow," said I, " you need a little 
exercise; it will do you good to move about." 

" I can't — gentlemen, — I tell you — I'm sick," (still 
groaning, and letting on to be in great distress.) 

" Yes, that wolfish-looking face of yours looks sick/ 
Get out of that !" lie commenced to rise, trembling 
rll over as if with nervous fear. "Your nerves a'n't 



54 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

SO steady as they were this morning," T added. 

" Indeed — I am — sick — gentlemen." 

" I should think your conscience would make you 
tremble." 

" Are you — gwine to — kill me ? " he asked, getting 
more and more agitated with alarm. 

" No, we won't kill you, but we'll give you a fur- 
lough to a warmer climate. I think it will improve 
your health ?" 

" You will give — a body — time — to pray — won't 
you?" 

" Praying won't do you any good ; you will go to 
the warm climate, anyhow, so, hurry on them clothes 
and come along with us." We then walked him out 
of the house ; we found that he could travel as strong 
as we could. 

As we passed out into the yard, we met the big 
Sergeant, accompanied by a negro who had an iron 
collar on his neck, with a chain fastened to it, with 
the other end fastened around his waist. 

" Here, Bunker," said the Sergeant, " see what I 
have found." 

" That chain is just exactly what I want. Bring 
your negro around here," said I, as I led my pris- 
oner around to the rear of the house, and out to the 
stable. There we found two crotches standing up- 
right, and a pole laid from one to the other. A large 
box was rolled out from the stable and placed under 
the pole, and the overseer made to get on the box. 
The negro had been sent to the rebel fortifications to 
work, and had run aAvay. The overseer had captured 



SCOUT AND SPY. &0 

him, and had punishsd him by putting him in irons, 
as descrihed. In the morning he would chain him 
to the plow, and at night release him and make the 
chain fast around his body. On searching the pockets 
of the overseer, I found the key that unlocked th(? 
chain. I then unlocked the chain from the negro, 
and placed it upon the overseer's neck, and made the 
other end fiist to the pole overhead ; and having 
fastened the overseer's hands behind him, I said to 
the negro, " This man has been your overseer for a 
long time — you may change about now, and be his 
overseer awhile." 

" Lor' bress you, massa ! " he exclaimed. '" Thank 
de Lord furdat; he's dun druv dis nigga long enuf" 

" "Well, you chive him now." 

" Shall I drive him thar ? " 

" Yes, drive him where you please." 

" I reckon he won't do dat box no good standin' 
there," and suiting the action to the word, he jerked 
the box from under him, leaving him suspended by 
the neck; adding, "Now, I specs he'll drive hisself. 
I 'se more important business to 'tend to." 

The overseer being in a fair way to have his "fur- 
lough approved," we returned to camp by the same 
way that we went out. The next morning, early, 
the wife came in with a complaint to the Provost- 
marshal that a party of Federal soldiers had been to 
her house the night before, and had taken her sick 
husband out of bed and had hung him, and begged 
for protection from further outrage. 

The Provost-marshal said to her, "' I don't believe 



OU THE GREAT AMERICAN 

a word of it ; for no soldiers have been permitted to 
g-o through our lines during the night. Perhaps you 
had a husband and perhaps not. I advise you to go 
back about your bn-dness and not be in here blaming 
Federal soldiers with that which they have never 
done." 

During the day a forage party, on its return to 
camp, visited the plantation and brought away sixty 
contrabands, and among them was the one that we 
had liberated from his chains. The overseer was 
dead, but had been taken down and carried into the 
house. On his arrival i'n camp, the negro reported 
that the Yankees had made him hang his master. 
Outside of the lines it was generally believed that 
the Yankees had done it, but the soldiers generally 
believed that the negroes on the plantation had done 
it. It was never suspected that I had had a hand in it. 
" My personal safety as a scout demanded that he 
should be dispos&d of," is all the excuse that I have 
to offer. I continued to scout the road for several 
days after, but met with no further interruption. 

Early in the month of July, the first train of cars 
that was to run through from IMemphis to Grand 
Junction started out, and, when only a short distance 
from Memphis, was captured, and the railroad badly 
destroyed. Sergeant Wilson and the Colonel of the 
'5Gth Ohio escaped, but were pursued by blood-hounds 
aifd recaptured. 

Owing to the difficulty of protecting the road from 
the raids of the enemy, the opening of it was aban- 
doned for a time, and the roads from Columbus, Ky., 



SCOUT AND SPY. 57 

to Grand Junction and Corinth were relied upon for 
the transportation of supplies. When the opening 
of the road was abandoned, the forces at Lagrange, 
under command of General Hurl but, moved to Mem- 
phis, which left the small brigade at Grand Junction 
without any troops for support nearer than Bolivar, 
a distance of twenty miles. The exposed position 
of so small a force undoubtedly embaldenod the 
enemy in their plans for capturing the post. As I 
have explained in the proceeding chapter, the abun- 
dance of cotton and forage was an object to hold the 
place as long as the safety of the force would admit. 

After General Hurlbut's forces left Lagrange, our 
pickets were frequently hred upon, and small squads 
of cavalry were seen, indicating a boldness on the 
part of the enemy indicative of a strong force not 
far off. 

It was under that state of affairs that General 
Leggett requested me to go out as a spy, and learn 
the position and force of the enemy. 

On this occasion I rode out on a mule, disguised as 
a rebel soldier, taking the road that led to the White 
Church. Soon after passing our own pickets, I sav/ 
several squads of rebel cavalry, but at some distance 
from me, but none of them interrupted me. Just 
after I had crossed Wolf River, I discovered the 
rebel pickets ; how I was to pass them was more 
than I knew, I resolved, however, to go on and try 
the effect of a bold front. With as much unconcern 
and freedom as though I was one of their number, 
and perfectly at home, I rode up, and without halt- 



58 _ THE GREAT AMERICAN 

ing" or showing that I expected to be halted, I said, 
" Good morning', boys ! have our forces all got up yet? " 
*' Yes," said one ; " where have you been ?" 
'' Out to the Yankee lines by the old cotton- 
gin near Grand Junction," I replied, still riding 
along. 

By this time I had got clear by, without any at- 
tempt being made to stop me. At the White Church 
I came to the rebel camp ; there I dismounted and 
inquired of a soldier for head-quarters. 

" Whose — " General Van Dorn's ? " was asked. 

"Yes," I replied. 

He then showed me to General Van Dorn's tent. I 
had supposed that if I found much of a force it would 
be that of General Van Dorn. I proceeded to the 
tent that had been pointed out. In front of it was 
the usual head-quarters guard. Saluting him, I in- 
quired if General Van Dorn was in, and was an- 
swered in the affirmative. The moment I entered, 
I saw two Generals. One I instantly recognized as 
the Confederate General Wheeler ; I had known him 
in Memphis before the war. Without speaking to 
him, I turned to the other and addressed him ; I 
said, " General, I wish to get a pass, if you please, 
to go outside of the lines." 

" Who are you ? " the General inquired. 

" My name is Ruggles." 

" General Van Dorn," said General Wheeler, "dont 
you know him ? He is a brother of General Rug- 
gles, and belongs to the 2d Arkansas Cavalry." 

"Ah! Indeed!" 



SCOUT AND SPY. 59 

" Yes, and I ^Yant to go out to the Yankee lines 
and see what they are doing out there." 

" I Avish you wouhl, Ruggles," said Van Dorn, 
" and see if the Yankees have obstructed the Grand 
Junction and Salem road with timber. That's the 
road that I want to take a part of my forces on in 
the morning." 

General Van Dorn instructed his Adjutant to write 
me a pass, which I received, and then went out and 
mounted my mule. ^^ That's the road I ivant to take 
a J) art of my forces on in tlte Qnorning! " was some- 
thing that needed my immediate attention. I rode 
leisurely through the camp. Every thing was hustle 
and activity preparatory to a move, and confirmed 
what I had heard at head-quarters. As near as I could 
judge, the camp contained 9,000 or 10,000 men. 

Having satisfied myself of the probable force of 
the enemy, I started back on the road I came in on. 
I stopped at the pickets and showed my pass, and 
then went on. After I had crossed AVolf River, I 
made a detour across the country to the right, in order 
to get on to the Grand Junction and Salem road, as 
General Van Dorn had directed me, so that if by any 
mishap I should bo captured and sent to head-quar- 
ters, I could show that I was captured right were I 
had been sent. 

About five miles from the White Church, I dis- 
mounted at a large beautiful spring of water, to 
drink and rest myself Wliile there, a cavalryman 
rode up and halted for the same purpose; I immedi- 
ately recognized him as having been one of the squad 



CO THE GREAT AMERICAN 

I had fallen in with and accompanied so far in my 
former trip. He rode a Texan pony, with a peculiarly 
constructed saddle, that I could not mistake as hav- 
inj^ seen before. 

" Where have you been? " I inquired, as he stopped. 

" I 've been up to the Yankee lines." 

" You must be a scout, then." 

" Yes, I am a spy ; where do you belong ? " 

" I belong to the Yankees! " I replied, placing my 
nand on my revolver, as if to draw it. 

My movements agitated him. Raising his hands 
in a supplicating attidude, as if he thought I meant 
to kill him, he said, " D — do'nt shoot! hold — hold 
on ! do n't lets you and I quarrel ; let us help each 
other, since we are both in the same business." 

" Very well ! just as you say about that." 

" You played off the spy pretty well the other day 
when you v^as with us," he continued, somewhat 
composed. 

" Yes, I did well enough for that time ; but 1 am 
in a hurry this time, so you and I must make short 
visits." 

At that, we both mounted and started in opposite 
directions, eyeing each other, with revolvers drawn, 
until out of sight. I might have shot him at the time 
ne thought I intended to do it, but I did not think my 
own safety would admit of it. 

At 5 o'clock that afternoon I arrived at General 
Leggatt's head-quarters, and reported what I had 
learned, and before daylight the next morning the 
brigade was on its way to Bolovar, and it had not 



SCOUT AND SPY. 61 

been srone an hour until General Van Dorn's forces 
were in possession of the phice. 

Shortly after our arrival at Bolivar, I was in town, 
accompanied by Sergeant Wonders, of the 20th Ohio. 
Hitched in front of one of the stores was tlie same 
little Texan pony and peculiar saddle that I had seen 
twice before. I knew that I could not be mistaken 
in them. I did not like the idea of his running at 
large. An encounter with him in the enemy's camp 
would prove fatal, so I resolved to find him and have 
him arrested. After searching for some time, without 
success, I returned to where I had seen the pony, and 
found that it was gone. From a soldier I learned 
that somebody had ridden the pony out toward the 
depot. I followed after, and when about half way 
to the depot, I saw the pony coming. I sent the Ser- 
geant back and told him to see where the man went, 
and I would join him after awhile. Just before we 
met, he halted and commenced to fasten his pony. 
Stepping up to him and speaking very low, I said, 
" Hallo, old fellow ! are you in here ? ' 

" Yes," he said, trembling from head to foot. 

'• Never mind, you need n't be afraid, It 's all 
right,^'' I added h\ a confidential way, "you need not 
be afraid of me; I am m a great hurry this morning, 
so you must excuse me." Without further words I 
walked on rapidly, as though I cared nothing about 
him. As soon as ont of sight, I made my Avay around 
to the office of the Provost-marshal. There I was joined 
by the Sergeant, who remained outside to watch. 

On entering his office, I found him asleep on a cot. 



62 THE GREAT AMEPJCAN 

I woke liiiu up and told him the circumstances aoout 
the spy, and that I wanted some guards to capture 
him. By the time I had finished telling him, he was 
fast asleep. I again woke him up, and commenced 
to tell what I wanted, when he said : 

" Do — you — know — the — man? " 

" Yes ! I know the man ! " 

" Do — you — know — the — hoss ? " 

" Yes! I know the horse and I know the saddle." 

" W-a-1— a-l-l— r-i-g-h.t ! " 

By this time he was again fast asleep. I tried 
again to wake him, but Avith no better success. I do 
not say that he was drunk, but I do say that he acted 
just as our Orderly Sergeant does when he is driink. 
The result was, the spy escaped, and I have never 
s^Qen him since. 

As we were passing along by Adams & Brother's 
store, a few hours after, the door chanced to bo open, 
and we observed that the room was occupied by many 
citizens, engaged in a spirited conversation, and so 
we dropped in to see what was going on. One of 
the persons present I knew to be Brigadier-General 
Neely, of the Confederate army, who had been cap- 
tured by the Federal troops when they first took pos- 
session of the place, and he was on parole of honor 
within the limits of the town. 

When we first entered, the conversation stopped, 
but it was soon gradually resumed. A great deal 
was said about the Yankees stealing corn, cotton, 
and niggers, and they complained that it was ruin- 
ing many of the planters. I listened a few ininutes. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 63 

and then addressing myself to General Neely, said : 
" Gentlemen, so llir as I am concerned, I have never 
yet stolen a cent's worth of property since I have 
been in the Federal nrmy, and if I had known that 
a United States soldier had got to steal corn, cotton, 
and niggers from the citizens of the South, I would 
never have enlisted." 

" Nor I either," said the Sergeant, " I did'nt 
think when I enlisted that this was going to be 
made a nigger war ! " 

" For my part," I continued, " I'm gettins: tired 
of fighting for niggers, and if I was n't afraid they 
would hang me ibr a spy, I'd go and join Billy 
Jackson's cavalry." 

" And so would I," said the Sergeant ; " I think 
I'd like the Southern people very much. I have 
often heard "Bunker" talk about them; he used 
to live in the South." 

" Yes, I did, indeed ! and I'm almost ashamed 
to be fighting against them. I used to live in Miss- 
issippi, and I have spent several years in Arkansas 
and Tennessee. I am well acquainted in Memphis. 
General, do you know Jim Ford and Charlie Ford, of 
Memphis ? " 

'■ Yes, I knov/ them very well ; they are whole- 
sale dealers in produce. I get my supply of pork 
from them every year." 

He then motioned to me and the Sergeant and 
one of the citizens in tlic room, who had been listen- 
ing with a good deal of interest to our conversation, 
to accompany him into a back room, which we did. 



64 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

He then called for two bottles of wine, and asked 
us to drink with him, whicii we Avere not in the 
least backward about doing-. 

The citizen then said that he had not time to stay 
longer, and, shaking hands with us, bade us good-by 
and went out. 

" General," said I, when the citizen had gone 
'' do you know where Billy Jackson is ? " 

" Yes ! He's not far off; if you want to join his 
cavalry you would have no trouble in getting to him." 

" If I wa'n't afraid General Jackson would get me 
and hang me for a sp}', I'd ran away, and so would 
this Sergeant, and we'd join iiis cavalry." 

" There is no danger of that," said the General, 
for tliat was General Jackson tJtat drank tlie icine unth 
us, and has just left. He heard all you said about 
joining his cavalry. If you want to go, boys, you 
will have no trouble in doing so." 

" Well, General," said I, " since you are acquainted 
with General Jackson, can't you give us a pass that 
will make us all safe after we get out of the Yankee 
lines?" 

'• I'm on parole of honor," he replied, " and I have 
no right to do that." 

" There would be no harm in it ; the Yankees 
would never find it out." Pulling out my wallet, I 
said, "General, how much did you pay for that 
wine ? We must have another bottle — not at your 
expense, but mine. It's my treat this time. 

"Oh, no! no, no!" said the General, "I'll pay 
for the wine ! Mr. AdamS; bring us another bottle. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 05 

Boys, you come over to-morrow and I '11 have your 
passes fixed out for yon ! " 

I assured him that we would, and, having drank 
the wine, we left and returned to camp, considerably 
elated with our adventure. 

Unfortunately, Billy Jackson and the spy both f^ot 
away. The only good that I could then do Avas to 
find the "hole in the fence" where they had gone out, 
and prevent a repetition of it. 

I knew that Mrs. Dr. Coleman was a daughter of 
General Neely, and I thought that she, probably, 
knew where Jackson and his spy went out through 
our lines. I had been there a number of times, and 
had become considerably acquainted, and Mrs, Cole- 
man had not yet found out, that I belonged to the 
Federal army. Doctor Coleman was a practising 
physician, and wns absent from home the most of 
the time, visiting his patients. 

The next morning I went over to see her. After 
we had conversed awhile, I said to her, " Melia, did 
you see Billy Jackson in tov/n yesterday? " 

"Yes, did you?" 

"Yes, I saw him, but I was wondering how in the 
world he managed to get out; the Yankees are getting 
mighty particular who they pass out." 

" Why, I can tell you ; he went right through our 
corn-field, and out at the water-galch underthe fence." 

" Yes, yes; I do remember that place now; that's 
.a good place to go out. By the way, how does the 
doctor like the Yankees being so strict? " 

" He don't like it at all ; he had to go and take 
5 



66 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

the oath before they would give chilli a pass to visit 
his patients." 

" Did he ? " 

" Yes; and I never felt so bad about any thing in 
my life as I did about that. The nasty, dirty thieves! 
I perfectly hate the sight of them. I assure you the 
Doctor don't consider himself bound by it; no, indeed!" 

She was very indignant to think that her husband 
had been compelled to take the oatb. From there 
I went to see her father. General Neely, Avho gave 
me the pass that he had promised me the day before. 
Thus prepared, I went to head-quarters and reported. 

That day Doctor Coleman's corn was all cut down, 
so that the pickets had a fair view of the ground, 
without changing the line, and General Neely was 
sent North for a violation of .his parole. 



SCOUT AND SPY, 67 



CHAPTER VL 

The value of the Oath — Attempt to take " Banker's " life — Sent to 
(Jrand Junction — The hazardous ride — The Countersign — The Chase — 
Unfortunate occurrence — The chase abandoned — Meets ■with guerril- 
las — They invite him to drink — Renewed vigihmce — Tho battle of 
Middleburg. 

The troops stationed at Bolivar, Tennessee, at the 
time of the cvacaation of Grand Junction, were 
under the command of Brigadier-General L. F. Boss, 
and my next hihors in the secret service of tiie 
United States was under his orders and instructions. 
I made frequent expeditions from Bolivar, but many 
of them were so similar in their events that I shall 
not undertake to give a narrative of all of them. 
These expeditions elicited the fact, however, that 
nearly ail of the citizens of that part of Tennessee, 
in the face of the military occupation of the country, 
professed loyalty to the Federal Government, and to 
give their pretensions the color of reality, and secure 
the privileges to bo obtained from the military au- 
thorities, had taken tho oath of allegiance. 

Ev^ery trip that I made in the disguise of a Con- 
federate soldier, revealed to me Confederate wolves 
clad in Union garments On one occasion, I lind 
1)ceii sent for, and v/as in the act of receiving my 



68 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

instructions from the Adjutant in regard to a trip 
that I was required to make, where an old gray- 
headed citizen was sitting, who had called in to pro- 
cure some military favor. The Adjutant, not suppo^^- 
ing what Iio had to communicate to me would gi^'e 
the citizen any clue to the plans I was ahout to carr}' 
out, gave hia instructions in his presence. I observed 
that ho paid more than usual attention to what was 
said, and, from tho expression of his countenance, I 
suspected tliat ho comprehended the move that I was 
about to mak'e. I became so impressed with the idea 
that the old man meant me evil, that after I had left 
and he had taken his departure, I went back and ob- 
tained permission to take a squad of men with me. 

I made the trip in the night. My route was on a 
road that passed the old man's house. I came upon 
two men by the roadside, evidently watching for 
somebody to pass. As soon as they discovered that 
a squad of men, instead of a single man, was ap- 
proaching, they fled without waiting for me to come 
up. Had the old man sncceeded, it would have 
been my last scout, I ascertained from the colored 
people on the place that the two incn were the old 
man and his son, and that they were watcliing to 
kill a Yankee spy that they expected would pass that 
night. 

When General Van Dorn gave up the pursuit after 
General Leggett's brigade, ho fell back with his 
command to Coldwater and Holly Springs, Missis- 
sippi, and for a few weeks every thing remained 
quiet. 



SCOUT AND SPY. GO 

Toward the latter part of August rumor became 
prevalent that an attack was intended against the 
forces garrisoning Bolivar, which rendered it neces- 
sary to watch closely. On the night of August 27th, 
General Ross told me that ho had heard that a force 
of the enemy had again got as far north as Grand 
Junction, and wished me to ride down that night 
and find the enemy's pickets if they were north of 
the Junction ; if not, to go on to the Junction and 
then return. 

I started at 9 o'clock. The weather was warm, 
but the night was extremely dark, which rendered 
the undertaking unpleasant and hazardous. It was 
impossible to distinguish objects at a distance, and 
needed the utmost precaution to prevent running 
into the pickets before I was aAvare of their presence. 

After having arrived within three miles of Grand 
Junction, the ride became more dangerous than be- 
fore. Knowing that my safety required increased 
vigilance, I slackened iny pace to a very slow walk, 
peering forward into the dark distance with all the 
powers of my vision, hoping if there were any pickets 
I might be able to- see them in time to escape. 

In that manner I felt my way along in suspense, 
until within three-quarters of a mile of Grand Junc- 
tion. Here a single sentry stepped out in tlie mid- 
night darkness, not more than 20 feet ahead of my 
mule, and challenged : 

" Halt ! v/ho comes there ? " 

I had got too close to venture an escape by running, 
and I resolved to make the best use of my position 



70 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

that the circumstances vrould permit, and take my 
chance for the result. 

"A friend, with a countersign," I replied, at the 
same time drawing my revolver and hanging it down 
by my side. 

"Advance one, with the (countersign ! " said the 
sentry 

" There a'n"t hut one yere,'" said I ; " my mule is 
so ugly that I don't like to dismount, and so skittish 
that I don't know as I can advance ; " and at the 
same time I pretended to urge my mule forward to 
the sentry, who stood with his piece at "arms port." 
"Bring your piece to an 'order,' said T, "if you please, 
so that I can get my mule up without dismounting." 
He brought his piece to an order, and as the mule 
moved onward, he stepped one foot forward and 
leaned toward me to receive the countersign. I leaned 
forv/ard, and, thrusting my revolver to his breast, gave 
him my countersign. I jn'csume the countersign was 
correct. 

I did not v^'ait to observe the effect of the report 
of my revolver upon his sleeping comrades but, put- 
ting spurs to my mule, I dashed back toward Colivar. 
On did I press my mule at the top of his speed, fairly 
f'ljing over the ground until I reached Van Buren. 
As I was passing old Billy Moore's house, his dogs 
sprang at my mule, from the side of the road, with 
an infernal yelp, and the next instant I lay spravv'ling 
in the road — stunned from the shock of the fall. I 
sprang up, alarmed for my safety. My mule had 
stopped when I fell, and stood facing me, only a few 



SCOUT AND SPY. 71 

feet from where I lay. I managed, however, to mount 
my mule and go on. 

A short distance from Van Buren, I came to a 
cross-road that led to Snow's Mills. There I halted, 
thinking that, perlu ps, the same dogs that had done 
me an evil turn, by barking at me, would do me a good 
ono by barking at my pursuers, if any there were. 
I had waited but a few minutes when they com- 
menced to bark, and in an instant more I could hear 
the tramp of horses approaching. 

I again dashed ahead towards Bolivar, about 
three-quarters of a mile to Spring Creek. I crossed 
to the opposite side and there halted, and listened 
for the splash of the water as my pursuers came up, 
but none came. At the cross-road, not knowing 
which road I had taken, they abandoned the pursuit. 
Feeling satisfied of this, I moved on leisurely toward 
Bolivar. 

At daylight I reached Mr. Dickon's plantation, 
which is within five miles of Bolivar. I had called 
there several times, and had become considerably 
acquainted v/ith the family. Being sore from my 
bruises, and much fatigued and hungry from my 
night's ride, I concluded to give them a call. As I 
rode up I observed three strange horses feeding in 
one of the out-sheds. My rap at the door v/as re- 
sponded to by Mrs. Dickens, who received me with 
a hearty welcomed and Mr. Dickens was equally 
glad to see me. I liad, on a former occasion, intro- 
duced myself as a citizen of Tennessee, living in 
Memphis. My mule was cared for by one of the 



72 THE GREAT A^^IERICAN 

servants, and in a few minutes we were engaged in 
a free and easy conversation abont the news from 
our army ; and likewise we congratulated each other 
upon the future success of the Confederate cause. 
The Lincoln tyranny also came in for its share ot 
discussion. While thus engaged, three strangers 
entered, without rapping, to whom I was introduced 
as one of " our folks" from Memphis. I soon learned 
that they had been there all night. 
. Shortly after the three men entered, one of them 
said that he had something to drink in another room, 
and proposed that we retire by ourselves and " take 
a smile." So we men folks all repaired to the other 
room, where we indulged pretty freely. It was not 
long until the conversation of my new acquaintances 
flowed as freely as their liquor had done, and I learned 
from it that they were guerrillas, who had stopped 
to spend the night on their way to Middleburg, to 
attend a jollification to come off that day. By this 
time breakfast was announced, and we repaired to 
the table. I have rarely eaten a meal that relished 
better, though it was only a plain one. 

When breakfast was over, my guerrilla acquaint- 
ances invited, and even urged me to accompany 
them ; but I declined, stating as a reason that I had 
business of great importance, the nature of which I 
was not at liberty to divulge, and that several oi 
our most reliable friends were waiting in anticipation 
of my arrival at the house of Dr. Coleman, in Boli- 
var. My mule was got ready, and, having bid them 
farewell, I resumed my ride back to camp. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 73 

Two days after, I accompanied an expedition to 
Middleburg to capture the guerrillas, but without 
success. My report at head-quarters caused an in- 
crease in vigilance on the part of scouts and pickets. 
On the olst of August, the enemy, 6,000 strong, was 
found to be advancing in the vicinity of Middleburg. 
General Leggett, with less than one thousand men, 
mostly from the 20th and 78th Ohio regiments of 
infantry, met them there, and a desperate fight en- 
sued, in which our loss was trifling and that of the 
enemy severe. He was so badly punished, that ho 
withdrew his forces. 



74 THE GKEAT AMi::;iCAN 



CHAPTER VII. 

Attempts to visit the enemy's camp — Learns tbo streugtli and position 
of the euemy — Eetiirn intercepted — Perilious situation — Loses his 
mule — Frightened by men of his own regiment — The plan to capture 
the enemy — The negro's report — The forces discovered — Disposes of a 
rebel i)ickct — Reports his discovery. 

After the fight in the vicinity of Micldleburg, a 
part of the enemy went into camp between the battle- 
ground and Van Bnren. Soon after, General Leggett 
requested me to visit the enemy's camp and learn 
his force, and whether he had any artillery. He gave 
me a pass to go out, in the presence of the field-officer 
of the day, who said that no passes were being 
issued at division head-quarters, and objected to 
my going. General Leggett told the officer that I 
was a privileged character, and that he would take 
the responsibility of passing me out, but that he loould 
give passes to no others. 

Dressed like a citizen, and mounted on a mule, I 
went out and made my way to the rebel picket line, 
where I tried to pass in, but was informed by the 
pickets that they had orders forbidding them to pass 
citizens in or out. I passed along the line to other 
posts, but found that they all had the same orders. 
I made myself quite familiar with the pickets, and 



SCOUT AND SPY. / [) 

those not on duty did not hesitate to enter into con- 
versation with me, by means of which I learned that 
the forces consisted of three regiments of cavahy, and 
that there was ]io artillery. 

Having gathered up what information I could, I 
went to visit the battle-held, and while there I came 
across a young man who was on his way from Sauls- 
bury to Somerville, and had met with the same diffi- 
culty I had encountered in getting through the lines, 
and, in order to coiltinue his journey, he had made 
a detour round the lines. My own observations with 
his gave me a correct knowledge of the rebel lines 
on three sides, and also the position of the rebel camp. 

After completing my A^isit to the battle-ground, I 
returned toward Bolivar. On my way out to the 
rebel lines, I had seen and conversed with an old man,, 
a Mr. Knight, who liA^ed about three miles from 
Bolivar. As I approached his house, on my return, 
and when within one hundred yards of it, I saw in 
his front yard two persons dressed like rebel soldiers,, 
who had squirrel rifles. The moment they saw me, 
they brought their pieces to a ready, as if preparing 
to fire. I remembered distinctly that General Leggett 
had said that he would pass nobody else out; besides, 
I was a little suspicious of the old man Knight'sv 
loyalty; so I very naturally concluded that he,. 
knowing that I had gone out, had procured two sol- 
diers to watch for me as I returned. 

I immediately wheeled my mule about and re- 
treated behind a rise of ground, and then turned to my 
left into a corn-field. I dashed ahead about three- 



76 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

hundred yards, when I discovered a company of 
rebel cavalry coining in a line toward me. I turned 
to my left again, and was dashing ahead toward 
Bolivar, wlien I unexpectedly encountered a deep 
water-gulch that was impassable to my mule. In 
my flight through tlic corn, I had already lost my hat. 
There I was, surrounded, with the enemy to my right, 
left, and rear, and a frightful ditch in front of me; it 
was no time for hesitation. I jumped off from my 
mule and left it, and clambering down into the ditch 
and out on the other side, ran to Bolivar as fast as I 
could go, bare-headed. 

I made my way into camp, and procured a detach- 
ment of men and returned, hoping to find my mule, 
but did not succeed. I learned however, that the two 
men that had caused my fright were Daniel Harris 
and Columbus Johnson, of my oivn regiment They 
had beenpermittedtovisitthe battle-ground, although 
Gen. Leggett had pledged to the officer of the day that 
he would pass no one out but me. 

On my return, I reported the force and position of 
the enemy, and also a plan for its capture. So well 
pleased was General Leggett with my plan, that he 
sent me with it to General Crocker, who was then 
commanding the post, during a temporary absence 
of General Ross. The position of the enemy was as 
follows : 

Five miles from Bolivar, on the road leading south 
to Van Buren, the road forks ; the right-hand road 
leads to Middleburg, a distance of two miles. On 
the left-hand road, at a distance of two miles from 



SCCUl AND SPY. 77 

the folk, is a cioss-ioad, called " Wash. Nev/beui's 
T(taf3," leading into the right-hand road at Middle- 
burg. The th'icc roads incloii^e a section of country 
in shape like a regular triangle. Wo will call the 
Wash New'hem road the base, and the right and left- 
hand roads the sides of the triangle; Wash. New- 
bein's house stands on the south side of the road 
cciistituting the base, and about three hundred yards 
iiorri the left hand road. On a line parallel with the 
base, and three hundred yards south of it, was the 
rebel camp. Two of the regiments were on the west 
side of the left-hand road, and one on the east side ; 
the reginrent occupying the left of the enemy's lijre 
was directly soirth of Newbern's house. In front of 
this house, north of the road, is a pasture-field ex- 
tending: north to the road leadiir"- from the fork to 
Middlebuvg; the fence along the road in front of 
Newbern's was thrown dowir. The pasture field is 
narrow at each end, but iir the center it is much 
■\vider,making the space inthe center diamond-shaped. 
At the corner of the cross-road, near the rebel-camp, 
was the reserve pickets, arrd about one hundred yards 
north of the reserve was the advance post. On the 
west srde of the pasture-held was a large corn-field, 
and on the east side a piece of woods. 

My plan to capture the enemy was to take four 
regiments of infantry, and place two regiments on 
each side of the triangle space in the field, m the 
morning before daylight, and have them lay down 
in the corn-field and woods, so as to be out of sii:ht,. 
Then, at daylight, with what was known as the 



78 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

" mule cavalry/' (infantry mounted on mules.) num- 
beiing one hundred men, make a dash on the reserve 
pickets and drive them in ; tlien turn down the Wash. 
Newbern road, and, when in front of Newbern's 
house, break into confusion and disorder, and Avith 
whoops and shouts of defiance, start leisuiely down 
through the pasture. The enemy would naturally 
mount their horses and give chase, and, when once 
within the lines of the infantry, they would suddenly 
rise up, raise a shout, and close in each flank, and 
have them bagged. 

General Crocker thought my plan would work, but 
being only temporarily in command, did not like to 
assume the responsibility of executing it, and 'so it 
was abandojied. 

The " mule cravalry " above alluded to was organ- 
ized to flicilitate scouting, and watch more closely 
the moveiiLents of the enemy, and to check the de- 
})redations of the guerillas that infested the country. 
It was composed of men from the infantry, selcctod 
for their daring and gallantry. On account of the 
lliorough knowledge that I had obtained of the 
coiuitry, I was generally sent out with them, to guide 
them ni their scouts. 

Kot a great while after the foregoing adventure, 
as the •' mule cavalry '' was gcnig out on the road 
leading south I'rom Bolivar, I accompanied them on 
n.y own responsibility. Alter we had got^outside 
of the lines a. short distance, T left the mule cavalry 
and took across the fields to the left. to. Mr. Bill's 
plantation.. I had got into a cotton-fiejdjojiijiis^pian. 



SCOUT AND SPV. 79 

tation, and was ridinf^ leisurely along, when one of 
the negroes, who was picking cotton a short distance 
to my right, called out, 

"Hallo, dar, Mr. Bunker! you coine dis way." 

I obeyed, and rode out to see what the darkey 
wanted, 

" Mr. Bunker, hah we got forces down dar in de 
bottom ? " 

" No, WG have n't got any forces there." 

" Wal, dar's forces down in dar ; for de horns soujis 
down in dar reg'lar ebery mornin', ebery jioon, an' 
ebery night, an' dar mus' be forces down dar." 

" It must be rebel Ibrces, then : probably rebel 
cavalry." 

" Oh, Lord ! ^h\ Bunker, do n't talk dat ar way, 
for dey, will be u]) here for sure some night, an' dey 
will kill all de niggers Massa Bill hab got! " 

" Well, I must go and see who is down there. Cau 
you tell mo of any path that leads there ? " 

' Thar's heaps o' hog-paths dat leads down in dat 
ar way as yer go through de gate in do fur en' de 
field," said he, pointing to the fence. 

I rode on through the field in the direction pointed 
out, and following one of the hog-paths, I descended 
a hill, and was just rising to tlie top of another, 
when I discovered, on a ridge in advance of me, four- 
teen mounted rebels. They evidently had not seen 
me. I immeduitely backed my mule down the hill 
so far as to be out of sight, and then turned to the 
left and v/ojit down into a hollow, and then up a 
narrow ridge, or '■'■ hog back " leading iu the direction 



80 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

of Bolivar. Wlieii I had rode along about four hun- 
dred yards ihrough the scattering timber, I saw a 
fellow dressed like a rebel soldier, about fifty yards 
ahead, approaching me, with a double-barreled shot- 
gun, which he carried, lying across the back of liis 
neck, resting on both shouklers, witli both his arms 
up over the gun. As he came along he was whist- 
ling a very lively tune, apparently perfectly uncoii- 
cerned at my approach. 

The moment I saw him, and before he discovered 
my movements, I drew my revolver, and held it down 
l:)y the side of my leg, out of sight, and when within 
about six feet of him, I presented my revolver and 
ordered him to halt. He did so, looking perfectly 
astonished. Lay that gun right down on the ground^ 
I continued. He did so, by raising it right up over 
his head with both hands and laying it down in front 
of him; then, straightening himself up in the position 
of a soldier, said: 

" Well sir; what will you have.^ " 

" Step right hach, away from tliat gun! " He did 
so. "That will do," said I, when about tejr feet away, 
I at the same time riding up to the gun. 

" What are you doing here ? " 

"I've just been relieved from the look-outpost, 
out thar." 

" Look-out post ! What 's that ? " 

" Don't you belong to that ar mule cavalry ? " 

" No, I do ir't belong to it, but I sometimes go with 
it What command do you belong to ? " 

"Armstrong's 2d Battalion of Cavalry." 



SCOUT AND SPY. 81 

'' How many are there of you here ? " 
" There are one hundred and sixty of us." 
" What are you doing here ? " 
" We are sent out her6 to watch the mule cavalry." 
'' Where is your look-out post? " 
'' Well, sir, are you acquainted about here? " 
*'I am acquainted with all roads, hut not with 
your look-out post." 

*' Well, sir, our look-out post is in old 'Squire 
Knight's wheat-field. There is a big black stump 
there, with a plank across the top of it ; we stand on 
that. From there we can see your mule cavalry at 
Joe Knight's, and we can see you at John Ursury's 
blacksmith-«liop, and tell whether you take the Mid- 
dleburg or Van Buren road ; and the next place that 
we can see you is at Wash. Newbern's lane, and we 
can tell whether you go to Van Buren or to Wash. 
Newbern's. If ever you get down past Beaver's 
lane, going to Van Buren, it will be the last of you 
and your mule cavalry!' 

1 then dismounted and picked up the shot-gun. 
AVhat to do with the soldier was hard for me to de- 
cide. If I undertook to take him to Bolivar, it was 
quite probable that I would lose ]ny prisoner, and 
perhaps my life. To let hiin go would endanger my 
life and that of others ; particularly my own, in case 
he should ever recognize me with in their lines. So 
I paroled him, shouldered tlie gun and started for 
Bolivar. I did not feel safe in carrying the gun, 
lest it should betray me in case I should be captured 
by a squad, of rebel cavalry ; so, at the first stump I 
G 



82 THE GREAT AMEIUCAN 

came to, I disinoiiiited and broke it, and then went 
on. If I had had a gun of long range, I should 
have tried a pull at the man on the look-out post, 
hut as it was, I did not thiilk it advisable to molest 
him. 

Oil reaching camp, I concluded that it was my 
duty to report to somebody ; but not having been 
officially sent out, I reported to Colonel Force. He 
listened to my report, and when I had finished, told 
me to report to General Ross. I did so, and he told 
me to have myself in readiness the next morning to 
guide a force of cavaliy around to the rear of the 
rebel force, and that he would send a regiment of 
jjifantry in front, ajid try to capture the whole of 
them. Morjiing came, and I was ready to go, but 
received no orders. I have since learned that the 
plan fell tlirough because the Colonel wanted his 
regiment to go, and the General wanted his old regi- 
ment to go, and finally did not send any. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 83 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Sent to find tlie enemy's pickets — Suspicious circumstance — Sick child — 
Captures tlirce citizens standing picket — Releases them — Falls asleep 
— ^Perilous situation — Fortunate turn of affairs — Attack on the pickets 
— A very pious man — IIo proves a rebel sjiy. 

About a week after my attempts to get into the 
rebel camp near Wash. Newbern's, General Ross sent 
me down to the corners, at Newbern's lane, to ascer- 
tain whether the enemy had any pickets there. I was 
ordered to take three men with me, and to be very 
cautions in my movements, and, if I found any 
pickets near the place designated, not to fire into ^ 
til em, but to come immediately back and report. The 
place I was to visit, was seven miles from Bolivar; 
we started out after 9 o'clock in the evening-; I was 
mounted on a mule bat the three men that accom- 
panied me were on foot. It was a starlight night — 
not so dark but that we could discern objects at a 
considerable distance, and yet dark enough to facili- 
tate our movements. 

rive miles from Bolivar, we came to a house oc- 
cupied by Mr. John Ursury, and as we approached 
it, we observed in it a light. AVe had moved along 
very slowly, and it was then past 11 o'clock. Think- 



84 THE GEEAT AMERICAN 

ing it was rather strange that a light should be "burn- 
ing there at that hour of the night, I resolved to as- 
certain the cause. 

Taking one man with me, and sending the other 
two to the rear of the house to capture any persons 
that might undertake to escape, I rode up to the front 
door, with my revoh^er drawn, and, without dis- 
mounting, lifted the latch and shoved the door wide 
open. The persons present were Mrs. Ursury and 
children, one of them a small child, and a brother of 
John Ursury, about fifteen years old. 

" What are you doing hero with a light at this 
time of night? " I inquired. 

" We have got a sick child," replied Mrs. Ursury, 
" and we are doctoring it." 

" It's best to see whether the child is sick or not," 
said the man that accompanied me. He then went 
in and found it awake in the cradle, and, stranger as 
he was, soon had the child in a frolic, laughing and 
playing. 

"It's a curious sickness that that child has got," 
said the man, coming out. 

I then called the brother out, and, pointing my 
revolver at him, said: "There is something going on 
here besides doctoring a sick child, you young scamp, 
you! and if you don't tell me in a minute what it is, 
I'll blow the heart right out of you ! " 

"Mr. Bunker," said ho, " is there any forces com- 
ing along here ? " 

" Yes, there is a large force coming." 

" Well, my brother is standing watch up by the 



SCOUT AND sry. 85 

railroad. Hadn't I better go up and toll liim to come 
down ? " 

" No ; you go into the house and stay there. I'll 
go after him myself." 

I then called my men and went into the road, 
where I ordered them to remain until I could call. 
I then rode forward to see what was going on. 
AVhen I came in sight of the railroad crossing, I sav/ 
five men ; three of the men were mounted and two 
were not; they did Jiot seem to have any arms. I 
called to my men to come on, and then dashed up 
to them with revolver drawn, and demanded of them 
to surrender. As I was dashing up, the two th-at 
were not mounted fled, and the other three stood 
their ground. 

" Don't shoot us, Mr. Bunker ! called out Mr. Ur- 
sury, who at once recognized me." 

" jMarch down into the road, then, if you don't 
want to be shot ! Fine business, this ! Good loyal 
men standing picket for rebel soldiers ! March down 
there ! I'll see about this." 

I then marched thejn over to where I had left my 
men, who failing to hear mo call, had remained 
where I left them. One of the prisoners was an old, 
gray-headed preacher, by the name of Parson Ila- 
mer ; I have forgotten the name of the other. The 
two that I have named I had seen several times bo- 
fore. 

" Yv^hat v/erc you doing there at this time of night ?" 
I inquired. 

" We were watching for some niggers to come 



86 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

along that ran away from my brother-in-law," said 
Ursury." 

" AVho were those two men with you that ran 
away?" 

" I don't know," replied Ursury. 

I asked the other two, and they denied knowing 
Vv'ho they were. 

"Well, I can tell who they were," I continued. 
" There are rebel forces over in Mr. Dickens' woods, 
and those men belong to them, and yon men were 
standinsf picket for them." This they stoutly denied, 
and said that if they were any rebel forces there 
they did not know it. 

Addressing Parson Hamer, I said ; " You arc an 
old, gray-headed man — a preacher of the Gospel ; 
you ought to be ashamed of yourself An okl man 
like you, with one foot in the grave and the other 
just ready to slip in, out at this time of night loatcli- 
ing for niggers! That's a fine excuse! It don't 
look reasonable. Ton are a contemptible old rebel ^ 
with the oath in your pocket, and you deserve to be 
shot!" 

I did not know what to do with them ; I had two 
miles further to go, and it was necessary for me to 
take all my men with me, and to be encumbered 
with prisoners, in case we shoukl run into a force, 
would be hazardous. I finally took down their 
names and released them, and then went on. 

Finding no pickets at Newbern lane, we returned. 
On arriving at the railroad crossing where I had 
captured the prisoners, I sent my men to camp by 



SCOUT AND SPY. 87 

way of the railroad, which was a much shorter route 
than the wagon-road, and kept on myself the way I 
had come out. 

Having- slept but very little for several nights, by 
reason of being out on scouts, after parting company 
with my men I became very sleepy, and experienced 
considerable difficulty in keeping awake, and at last 
fell asleep. 

All at once my mule came to a sudden halt, throw- 
ing up its head as if something was wrong. The 
movement woke me up, and there, stretched across 
the road, was a line of soldiers bringing their pieces 
to a ready. I could plainly hear the click-ick-ick as 
they cocked them, for they Avcre not more than fifteen 
yards from me. I cannot describe the horror and 
alarm that I felt at my situation; it was of no use to 
run, so I resolved to put on a bold front and sell my 
life as dear as possible. Surrender ! no, never ! 
thought I, if I die the next instant. 

" Who conies there ? " said I, drawing my re- 
volver. 

" Advance and give the countersign ! " said the 
officer in coinmand of the soldiers. 

"Who are you?" said I. 

"No nuitter!" said he; "advance and give the 
countersign." 

" I shan't advance a step until I knov^ who you 
are ! " 

"Well, you advance one," said he, "and I'll ad- 
vance one." 

" Very well ; come on ! " 



88 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

As we met, each with a revolver cocked, the officer 
exchiimed, " Why, Bunker ! Is that you ? I am 
frightened to think of it ! Why didn't you stop ? 
In an instant more my whole company would have 
fired into you ! " 

'' I was asleep. Captain ! It was a narrow es- 
cape, wasn't it ?" 

" Indeed, it was ! " 

It was no other than Captain Ayres ana com- 
pany A, of the 20th Ohio, sent out as a support for 
me to fall back on if I was discovered by the enemy 
and pursued. They had been sent out after I left, 
and I had no knowledge that they were coming. 
The result of it was, I came very near falling hack 
ivithoitt any support ! 

My suspicions of a rebel force being in Dickens' 
woods was confirmed in the morning by an attack 
on our pickets, by a force of five hundred men, by 
which two men of the 23d Indiana were wounded. 
After firing into the pickets, the enemy made a de- 
tour to the north-west of Bolivar, and there encoun- 
tered a large Federal foraging party, that fired into 
them and killed seven, which made them skedaddle. 

The next day I obtained leave of Gen. Boss to 
take a squad of 9 men, and go out G miles and get 
15 lbs. of nice sweet butter which had just been 
churned and worked up for a company of Arm- 
strong's cavalry. I told the General that I thought 
it would taste as good to Federal soldiers as to the 
Confederates. Having found the butter and also a 
fine lot of honey, and a quantity of chickens, we 



SCOUT AND SPY. 89 

loaded them into an open boggy, confiscated a mule 
to draw it, and then bent our way back to camp. We 
had proceeded but a little way, when I discovered a 
man a short distance ahead. As soon as he saw us, 
he sat down in the shade of a tree in a bend of the 
road, pulled out a Bible, and commenced to read. 
Coming up to him, I said, " Daddy, how do you do ? " 

" By the grace of God, I am well, and I hope you 
enjoy the same blessing," w^as his answer. 

" You are mighty good, a'n't you ? You are a sol- 
dier, I suppose." 

" No, gentlemen, I am not a soldier. By the 
providence of God, I am a preacher of the Gospel, 
pure." 

" Look here, daddy ; don't you know that this 
country is invaded? Over there lies the Federal army, 
and yonder the Confederate army. What business 
have you to be prowling about between the lines of 
the two contending armies ? " 

"I have got a Federal pass," said he, handing me 
one signed by General Ross, " and I have taken the 
oath. I have no connection with the Confederate 
army." 

"Well, daddy, ycu don't look like a man witii a 
clear conscience ; we must search you." We pro- 
ceeded to search him, which resulted in finding, in a 
leg of his pantaloons, between the outside and lining 
a map eighteen inches by twenty two, representing 
exactly our fortifications, intrenchments, camp, and 
picket line at Bolivar. It was skillfully executed, 
and was as accurate as it could well be made. Our 



90 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

discovery of the map took away the old man's sanc- 
timonious dignity. " This is one of your sermons, 
I suppose ! " I remarked, as I drew out the map. 
"A fine subject for a minister of the Gospel ! " He 
dropped his head and made no reply. 

" Now, daddy, you look tired ; you get into the 
buggy and ride." So the old man got in. "Boys," 
said I, " is'nt there some way to get that mule to 
Bolivar without that rope? " The boys took the hint, 
and fastened the rope to a limb of a tree which ex- 
tended over the buggy, where the old man was 
sitting, that he might hold on to it." Now, daddy," 
said I, "you are in a hurry to get to Canaan, and we 
are in a hurry to get to camp, so good day, sir." Our 
mule than gave a desperate plunge, leaving him to 
travel his journey alone tot hat place where, "by the 
grace of God," he'll have no use for maps of Federal 
fortifications. 

I carried the map to General Ross, and related to 
him the circumstances ol its capture. 

"Did you bring the man in?" he inquired. 

" No, sir ; we have brought in several disloyal 
characters, and they have all managed to get released ; 
for that reason we thought it not worth while." 

Gen. Ross sent the map to Gen. Grant, then at 
Jackson, Tenn., accompanied with the particulars of 
its capture. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 91 



CHAPTER IX. 

Sent to Somervillo — Finds himself a prisoner — Taken to Cold Water — 
Meets with old acfiuaiutauccs — Is iiarolcd — Kuns with tho 2d Arkansas 
Cavalry — Goes to Lumpkins' Mills — lutervicw -with General Price — 
Stays all night with his brother, the rebel General — Return to Bolivar 
— Reports to General Ross — Obtains the Colonel's horse, and returns 
to the enemy — Runs away fiom the enemy. 

About the middle of September, the enemy having 
disappeared from our immediate front, General Ross 
sent me to Somerville, with instructions to reconnoiter 
the country all about, and find out, if possible, where 
the enemy had gone to, and such other information 
as I could obtain. 

I started out quite early in the morning", mounted 
on a mule, dressed like a citizen in easy circum- 
stances. Whenever I met a planter, I would stop 
and converse with him about the " news from our 
army," and the prospects of the war, and the "thiev- 
insr Yankees that were robbing us of our cotton and 
niaiiers." In the course of such conversr.tion, I learned 
there were no rebel forces in that immediate vicinity. 
About noon, I reached Somerville. There I found 
every thing quiet as a Sabbath morning. Passing 
through the town, I took the road to Moscow. Com- 
ing to a large, fine brick house that stands near the 



92 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

railroad depot, I drew tip and alighted from my mule, 
and wont in, i n pursuit of some dinner. 

"Stranger," said I, addressing an elderly gentleman 
that I found on entering, can I get some dinnerhere ?" 

" I reckon so," he said, handing me a chair; "din- 
gier will he ready in a few minutes. Sit down." 

I complied. 

" Where do you helong? " he inquired. 

" My home is in Memphis, Tennessee, hut — " 

Just then I was interrupted hy the entrance of two 
men, who came in from an adjoining room, one of 
whom asked me where I belonged. 

" I was just saying to this gentleman," I replied, 
that my home is in Memphis, Tennessee, hut I came 
from Bolivar here." 

" Do you helong to the Federal army ? " 

"No, sir; I am a citizen of this State, and my home, 
as I said before, is in Memphis." 

" How came you to he in Bolivar ? " 

" I went out there to see General Neely and Doctor 
Coleman, and the Adamses, and several others that 
I am acquainted with, and when I got in there the 
Yankees would not let me out when I wanted them 
to, and I had to remain there several days." 

" Did you get a pass from the Yank's to get out 
with?" 

" Yes, sir ; hut it only passed me out, and was re- 
tained hy the pickets." 

"Ilave you got any fire-arms or papers with you?'' 

" No, sir ; I had a nice navy revolver that I car- 
ried to Bolivar, but I was obliged to leave it with an 



SCOUT AND SPY. 93 

acquaintance when I left, to keep the Yankees from 
taking it away from me." 

" Well, sir, you may consider yourself my pris- 
oner, and after dinner we'll go down to Cold Water 
and see what they can do for you there." 

" Gentlemen," said I, " I am no Yankee soldier. 
I am a citizen, and I can't see what object you can 
have in taking me there." 

" It don't matter whether you do or not. I think 
that they will have some use for you." 

Dinner was then announced as ready, and we all 
sat up. " / tJiink tliey will have some use for you ! " 
reverberated through my brain, and set me into a 
train of thought anything but agreeable. Tm to be 
a conscript then ! thought I. I tried to suppress my 
feelings, and feigned to be cheerfal, as if nothing 
had occurred to disturb my equanimity. In fact, my 
only hope was in appearing cheerful. 

When dinner was over, the two men had their 
horses brought out, and we all three mounted and 
started for Cold Water, forty miles distant. On the 
way I kept up a cheerful conversation, and on sev- 
eral occasions I had my butternut friends convulsed 
with laughter. I found out that the man who had 
made me a prisoner was Captain Daniels, a noted 
guerrilla, and the other person was a Quartermaster. 

At 2 o'clock, A. M., we reached the outpost near 
Cold Water, where we halted until daylight, and 
then went in. As we Avere going in, we met a sol- 
dier, who, when he saw me, called out, " Hallo, Ptug- 
gles, is that you ? Where have you been ? I hav'n't 



94 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

seen you since we made shingles together on White 
Uiver ! " 

" I'm a prisoner," said I. 

" A prisoner ? are yon ! " 

" Yes, Captain Daniels, here, captured me at 
Somerville, yesterday." 

" Ha, ha ! captured you ? Why, Captain, I have 
known that man for years, and made shingles for 
him on White River, in Arkansas, and he is as loyal 
to the Confederate cause as you are ! There are five 
or six other hoys here that know him as well as I do ! " 

Captain Daniels then took me to the head-quarters 
of the regiment, and there I found, in the Colonel, 
another man that I was well acquainted with. His 
name was Slemmens ; he used to he prosecuting at- 
torney at Napoleon, Arkansas. When I entered his 
quarters — 

" Lord hless me ! " he said, " if here a'n't Ruggles ! 
How are you ? " 

" Pretty well, I thank you. I am glad to meet 
you. I didn't know that you was in the service. 
The last time we met was at Napoleon, I helieve." 

" Yes ; hut pray what fetched you here ?" 

" Captain Daniels captured me and fetched me 
here." 

" Captured you ? " 

" Yes ; I told him I was a citizen of the South, 
but he did not helieve me." 

*' I have known Ruggles these six years. Captain ; 
he's all right. But, then, never mind — I see ! we'll 
make him count one in exchange. I'll parole him. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 



95 



" But " said he "if you can't bring in "better 
prisoners than this, you need not capture any more." 
Where did you find him ? " 

Daniels told him the particulars of my capture, 
and that I had been in Bolivar several weeks. 

"Well," said the Colonel, "I'll parole him." 

Captain Daniels and Quartermaster then left me 
with Colonel Slemmens, and returned toward Somer- 
ville. My old acquaintances all got together at the 
Colonel's quarters, and we had a right lively visit. 
They were all urgent to have me join the regiment, 
and I finally consented to run with them awhile, 
and promised to join if I liked the regiment. I had 
found out, by this time, that it was the 2d Arkansas 
Cavalry, and was there on outpost duty. It had 
been raised in a part of Arkansas where I was well 
acquainted. There was no other Regiment there at 
that time. The principal part of the rebel forces in 
Northern Mississippi were then camped at Lumpkins' 
Mills, seven miles south of Holly ►Springs. 

Among the acquaintances that I made during my 
stay in the regiment, was the Lieutenant-Colonel 
and the regimental sutler. The former was a Method- 
ist clergymen, by the name of Bosebrook. He was 
very urgent in his endeavors to have mo join the 
regiment. 

Two days after my arrival the regiment received 
orders from General Villipigue to move to Gun Town, 
on the Ohio and Mobile Railroad, seventy miles dis- 
tant. I went with it. There it received orders from 
General Van Dorn to go to Bipley. We remained at 



96 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

Hipley a few days, during which time we made two 
or three cotton-burning trips. Wo then received orders 
to go back to Cold Water. 

From Cold Water I accompanied Colonel Slemmens 
on a visit to Lumpkins' Mills. While there we called 
on General Price, and I was introduced as a brother 
of General Ruggles. In the conversation that was 
had with Colonel Slemmens and myself, General 
Price learned that I did not belong to any organized 
regiment, but that I had temporarily attached my- 
self to the 2d Arkansas Cavalry. He told me that I 
would have to be assigned to some regiment as a 
conscript. I objected to that. He said that it would 
have to be done, and without this I could not drav*^ 
any pay or subsistence from the Confederate 
Government. 

" General," said I, " the Southern Confederacy is 
of more consequence to me than pay. I did not come 
into the army for j:>Gf^. I have got twenty three 
hundred dollars in my pocket, and I intend to fight 
on that until it is gone. I have got a rich sister in 
Memphis, and when that is gone, I will go to her and 
get more. Besides, I can do more good as I am, be^ 
cause when there is a fight coming off any where, I 
can go into it, but if I am fast, I can only go where 
the regiment goes to which I belong." 

" Well," said the General, "perhaps you can do the 
most good as you are ; you may remain so." 

In the afternoon of the day before we were to re. 
turn. General Price sent me word that my brother, 
General Iluggles, had arrived. I immediately went 



SCOUT AND SPY. 97 

to head-quarters to see him. He expressed great 
delight at meeting me, and called me " Bub," as he 
used to do when at home, though I was forty years 
old. The Adjutant-General assigned us a tent by 
ourselves, and I remained with my brother all night. 
He had not been to Ohio for a great many years, and 
he was very much interested in learning the changes 
that had taken place in the neighborhood where he 
was raised. All I learned of him about the army 
was, that his command was near Baton Rouge, La., 
and that he had come there on business pertaining 
to his command. He did not ask me where I lived, 
nor allude to the subject of the rebellion. * He knew 
that I had spent a great portion of my life in the 
South, and, naturally enough, supposed that I was 
identified with her interests. 

In the morning I returned with Colonel Slemmens 
to Cold Water. I had learned, by this time, a great 
deal of information, and had been absent a much 
greater length of time than I had calculated on when 
I left Bolivar, and I began to feel anxious to get 
back and report. I had become quite a favorite with 
Colonel Slemmens, and I could generally get from 
him any favor that I asked for. 

" Colonel," said I to him, the next morning after 
we returned, " all the rest of the boys have got horses 
of their own, and I have got nothing but that little 
mule of mine to ride, and I want something else. 
Can't you make a cotton-burning trip up into the 
vicinity of Bolivar ? While I was there I found one 
regiment of Yankees camped out a little distance 
7 



THE GEEAT AMERICAN 

from the other regiments, and the Colonel of it has 
got a splendid horse ; if you will go, I can get in 
there and capture it." 

** PshaVv' ! You could not get into the lines if you 
were there ! " 

*' Yes I can ; I know right where to get in, and if 
I don't get that horse I'll get some other. I'm bound 
to have a horse." 

"Well, I can't go now, but I'll see about it." 

I waited two days, and then tried him again. 

"Colonel," said I, "what do you think about that 
cotton trip to Bolivar now? I'm getting very anxious 
for that horse." 

" If I thought you would succeed, I'd go." 

" I hnoiv I'll succeed." 

" How close can we get without getting into the 
Y^'ankee pickets ? " 

"We can get as far as Jonathan Ilerse's place, and 
there you can halt until I go in and return." 

" Well, then, I'll take live companies and we'll go 
np there to-day, and we'll have everything ready to 
start at 10 o'clock A. IM." 

At the appointed time wc started, and moved 
along rapidly until wc reached Horse's plantation. 
It was in the night when we reached there. The 
Colonel retained three companies, and sent two, under 
command of a Captain, with me with instructions to 
stop at such a place as I should designate, and wait 
three hours for me to return, unless I returned sooner, 
and if I did not come back at the end of that time, 
to return without me. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 99 

We went on until we came within about two 
hundred yards of the pickets, where I had the Cap- 
tain halt his men, and, leaving my mule, I went on. 
I found the advanced picket right where I expected 
to. He was on the alert, and challenged me as I 
came up. There I cautioned the officer in command 
of the pickets to be on the alert, for two companies 
of rebel cavalry were within rifle-shot of him. The 
pickets were all called up, and I was sent, under 
guard, to General Hoss. I had him called up, and 
reported to him what I had learned, and told him 
that, in order to carry out my plans, I wanted an 
order on the Quartermaster for a number one horse. 
I also told him that I would leave my mule on Mr. 
Herse's plantation, and requested him to send a 
forage party out the next day and bring the mule 
in. He gave me the order, and I went immediately 
to C. C. Williams, Assistant Quartermaster, and woke 
him up, and told him I was in a great hurry and 
wanted the horse then. 

However strangely he may have thought of my 
movements then, I am sure that when he reads these 
pages he will know why I disturbed him at that un- 
usual hour of the night. Ho furnished mo with a 
beautiful nag. With an old gun-sling and canteen 
strap I rigged up a sort of bridle, mounted the horse, 
and returned to my rebel escort. 

On my return, I was in ecstacies of delight over 
" my captured " nag. I told the Captain that I had 
got it from a Colonel, and that I found it jiot twenty 
yards from his quarters, and that I tried to obtain 



100 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

his saddle, bridle, and holsters, hut his negro was 
sleeping with his head on the saddle and I could 
not get them without waking him up. 

The men were all highly interested with the nar- 
ration of my exploit, and not only conceded that I 
" was a brave fellow," but " that I had got a splendid 
horse." We then returned to Ilerse's plantation, and 
I awoke the Colonel to show him my prize. He was 
as much delighted as the rest had been. 

It was by this time daylight, and we started for 
Cold Water ; I left the mule, as I had agreed to do, 
on Mr. Horse's plantation. On our way back we 
burned considerable cotton. I remained a few days 
longer at- Cold Water, and then accompanied a de- 
tachment to Saulsbury to burn cotton ; from there I 
ran away and returned to Bolivar. My mule had 
been brought in as requested, and so I exchanged my 
horse for it. I had been gone in all thirty-five days. 



SCOUT a:;d err. 101 



CIIAPTEE, X. 

Sent to Grand Junction to capture guerrillas — ouspicious incident- 
Strategy to got out tlio guerrillas — Orders disobeyed — The rebel flag — • 
The very kind secesli lady — The mistake — Out of the frying-pan into 
the fire — Guerrillas watching for them — ^Tho attack — The prisoner — 
The result of the trip. 

A TART of the duties assigned me, in the many- 
trips I made from Bolivar, was to hunt up guerrilla 
organizations, learn their intended movements, and 
make arrangements for their capture. During my 
scouts, I had learned that there was an organized 
band of guerrUlas at Grand Junction. On reporting 
the fact to General Ross, he requested me to go down 
and capture them, and gave me for that purpose a 
force of one hundred infantry, under command of a 
Captain, and forty cavalry, under command of a Lieu- 
tenant, with instructions to the officers that they 
should obey my orders in whatever plans I should 
choose to adopt, I was also furnished with a train 
of ten four-horse teams and wagons, and was in- 
structed to let the infantry ride out, and, on my re- 
turn, to load the wagons with forage. 

It was about sundown when the detachment moved 
out from Bolivar. I rode about one hundred yards 
ill advance, then came the cavalry, and in the rear 



102 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

the train bearing the infantry. My dress on this 
occasion was that of a citizen. 

When the last lingering rays of daylight had dis- 
appeared, the night became extremely dark — so dark 
that it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe 
by the powers of vision. While crossing a piece 
of bottom land, with a forest of trees on each side of 
the road that seemed to make the darkness still 
more impenetrable, I met three persons, I saluted 
them with a " Good-cYcning," and inquired of them 
where they v/ere going, and was told that they were 
going after some horses that had strayed away, and 
that they wanted to go on to Mr. Dickens' and stay 
all night, and resume the search for the horses in 
the morning. By this time the Lieutenant of the 
cavalry came up, and, on farther inquiry, found that 
they had passes. He took their passes to examine, 
but could not find a match with which to make a 
light. lie then concluded, from the feeling of the 
paper, that they were our passes, and allowed them 
to go on. When they passed the train, the infantry 
soldiers were sitting down in the bottom of the 
wagon-beds, and the most of them were asleep, and 
the men, in passing, probably did not discover any 
force but the cavalry. 

When within three miles of Grand Junction, we 
halted and waited until nearly daylight, and then 
moved on to within a mile of the place. There I 
had the teams turned about, facing toward Bolivar, 
and gave the teamsters instructions to remain by 
their teams, and if we were driven back, to pi.sh 



SCOUT AND SPY. 103 

forward to Bolivar. I then moved the cavalry and 
infantry forward as noiseless as possible into the lane, 
within half a mile of town, and instructed the officers 
to remain there just half an hour, and, if I did not 
return, to make a dash into the town, for they might 
know by my absence that I was captured. 

My plan was to leave my men there, and ride into 
town myself and find the guerrillas, and, if they were 
not concentrated, to find their leader and have him 
get out his men, to capture a small squad of Lincoln 
cavalry that I would report as feeding their horses 
near town, and while he would be getting out his 
men, I would reconnoitcr to see if they were still 
there, tell the Federal officers where to place their men, 
and then go back and act as guide to the guerrillas- 
Having given all the instructions that I thought 
were necessary, I rode on into town. As I drew up 
in front of the Percy House, the doors of the house 
were being opened, and "mine host" came out. 

" Good morning, sir," said I, as he made his ap- 
pearance. 

" Good morning, sir," said he, eyeing me closely. 
" Have we got any any cavalry here ? " 
" No, there is none nigher than Davis Creek, three 
miles from here." 

" Have we got guerrillas here ? " 
" Yes, some. Why, what do you want ? " 
" Thar's a squad of Lincoln cavalry right up thar," 
said I, pointing toward my own men. 

" Where are you from ? " he inquired, as if uncer- 
tain whether I was right or not. 



104 THE GKEAT AMEllICAN 

" Oil, / nm all rig-ht. I am just from Memphis, and, 
as I was, coming in this morning, I saw a squad oi 
Lincoln cavalry feeding Iheir horses, and I would 
like io get out a squad of ouj' men and go and cap- 
ture them." 

" Well I don't know how many guerillas there is 
here ; but there is Captain Hobison, who keeps the 
corner grocery, and lives across the street as you go 
round the corner; he is Captain of the band, and he 
can tell you all about it." 

" Thank you ; " and I started off to fmd him. 

"When I got round the corner, J saw a negro com- 
ing from a house that I took to be the Captain's ; so 
I waited till he came out to me. I learned from him 
that it was the Captain's house, and that he was at 
home. Just then I was startled by the tramp of 
horses. Knowing that it was not time for m)^ men 
to come in, I very naturally supposed that it was 
rebel cavalry. I went back to the corner to see what 
it vras, and there came my own men, the cavalry on 
a gallop and the infantry on a double-quick. Instead 
of waiting thirty minutes, Ihcy had only \yaited right/ 
I was vexed to have my plans, through disobedience 
of orders, spoiled; and more so, because I had learned 
from experience that all attempts to convict a guer- 
rilla aftprhewas captured would be futile, unless he 
was caught with arms in his hands fighting against 
us. Willi the oath of allegiance in their pockets, and 
the use of their oily tongues, they invariably managed 
to get released. 

We then arrested Captain Robison, and such other 



SCOUT AND SPY. 105 

persons as, from their actions, we had reason to he- 
lieA'^e belonged to the band. 

Captain Hobison kept, in addition to the grocery, 
a billiard saloon, which had been a favorite resort 
in the summer for the Federal officers, while the 
place was being garrisoned by the brigade under 
command of General Leggett. One day, while en- 
gaged in playing a game of bil lards, Lieut. P. M. 
Hitchcock, regimental Quartermaster of the 20th 
Ohio, having occasion to look under the table for 
something, discovered, fastened up underneath the 
table, a large rebel flag, which he captured and 
carried to camp. - The flag had been secreted there 
when the Federal troops first took possession of the 
place, and the officers had played on that table every 
.day for weeks without having discovered it. 

Having secured our prisoners, we proceeded to 
make the citizens of the place furnish breakfast for 
the detachment. This they were reluctant to do, but 
finally submitted. AVhen all had been supplied, we 
returned to the teams. The teamsters had not fared 
so well, and, as soon as I returned, they requested me 
to make arrangements for their breakfast. I told 
them to drive on and I would do so. I then rode on 
to fi]id a house that looked as if its occupants had a 
supply sufficient to furnish the breakfast, and forage 
for the hoises and mules. 

About four miles from Grand Junction, I came to 
a large brick house on the right-hand side, a short 
distance f om the road. I opened the gate, entered 
the yacd, and lode up toward the house, and, as I 



106 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

drew near the door, an elderly lady came out, whora 
I addressed, and inquired if I could get breakfast there 
for sixteen men, and feed for a hundred and fifty 
horses. 

Supposing me to he a secesh Colonel, she replied 
" Well, yes, so far as breakfast for the men is con- 
cerned ; but really Colonel, about the corn, I don't 
know as I have got enough here to feed so many ; 
but if you are a mind to be to the trouble to send 
OA^er to my nigger quarters, about three-quarters of 
a mile from here, you can get all the corn you want." 

"Thank you, madam. I will ride down and halt 
the train, and send the men up for their break- 
fast." 

As I rode away, I heard her order the negroes to 
get the breakfast. I halted the train, and set the 
negroes {who were returning with us from Grand Junc- 
tion) to cutting up corn from a field on the opposite 
side of the road for the teams. The infantry soldiers 
immediately began to scatter about the plantation, in 
search of horses and mules, to increase the number 
of those we had already taken at Grand Junction. 

The thought now occurred to me that I had been 
supposed by the lady to bo a secesh Colonel, and that 
as soon as she saw the bkie trousers, the getting of 
breakfast would be stopped ; so I v/ent back to the 
house to see about it. As soon as I came up, she 
met me at the door and commenced to complain, 

" I thought that it was our cavalry coming ; I was 
mistaken. Instead, I find it is nothing but a par- 
cel of confounded Lincoln jayhaivkers !'' 



SCOUT AND SPY. 107 

" We are all liable to mistakes, madam." 

"Now, could you," she continued, "demand of a 
poor lone widow, like I am, breakfast for sixteen men 
and feed for a hundred and fifty horses ?" 

" The subject has changed appearances consid- 
erably since I was here before. I'll see about break- 
fast myself 

I dismounted and fastened my mule, and then 
went to a wood-pile and procured a big club, and 
repaired to the cook-house. The negroes had evi- 
dently commenced to get things ready for the break- 
fast, but had been stopped. 

" What are you about, you black, woolly scoun- 
drels ! Why a' n't you cooking breakfast?" said I^ 
addressinof the neoroes. 

" Missus dun tole us not to get de breckfust ! " 

* Well, you go right to work and get the breakfast, 
or I'll thrash your black hides for you ! Start right 
away! " At that I made for them with my club. 

" Hole on ! hole on, massa ! we'll dun an' get the 
breckfust ! " 

They all sprang to work in good earnest. One of 
the negroes told me that the woman had locked up 
the meat. I started for the smoke-house door, with 
my club, to break it in, but the woman, who had 
been watching me, followed with the keys, and, when 
she saw, that I was about to force my way, entreated 
me to let her unlock the door. On inquiry of the 
negroes, I found that she had butter locked up in a 
cupboard. I told her to get out some butter, Oi^d she 
declared she hadn't got a bit in the house. I walked 



108 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

toward the cupboard, with my club raised, without 
saying any thing further, when she caine running to 
the cupboard, with the keys in her hand, saying: 
- Don't break it ! don't break it ! I'll get it out ! I'll 
get it out for you ! Do give a body time ! " 

By dint of perseverance, using a good many threats 
and some motions, I succeeded in having the break- 
fast made ready ; which, having been accomplished, 
the teamsters were called in to enjoy it. "While the 
teamsters were eating, a squad of soldiers came 
through the yard, with about thirty geese that they 
had confiscated. The lady saw them, and came to 
me to plead for them. 

" Now, don't let the men take those geese; dorCt! 
they are great favorites of mine and, I hate to part 
with them ! " 

I had noticed, a few minutes before, a large, close 
pen in one corner of tlie yard, filled with nice, fat 
turkeys, which one of the darkeys had told me were 
being fatted to send to the rebel officers. The boys 
had not yet discovered them. 

" Boys, put down those geese ; do'nt be packing 
geese from here to Bolivar ! Throw them down ! " 

"Why, Bunker!" they exclaimed, "you said vre 
might get any thing that we wanted ! " 

" Throw them down ! " 

Down they went. 

"Now, if you want any thing of the feathered tribe, 
pitch into those turkeys in that pen yonder," said I, 
pointing to it. 

Away the boys went, a-flying. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 109 

" Good Lord! Now dont! don^t get those turkeys! 
I'd rather you had took eveiy goose on the place!" 

" You are in a bad fix now, a'n't you ? " said I. 
" Rig-ht out of the frying pan into the fire ! " 

Just then a little colored girl came running in, 
and said : 

" Missis, do Yankees dun got Lucy !" 

"Where?" inquired the lady. 

" Ptight out dat ar way," said the girl, pointing 
in the direction. 

" Well now I declare ! Do nt take that riding nag 
away from me, a poor lone widow, as I am ; don^t ! 
Have a little mercy on me \ do !^^ 

"Yes!" said I, "you are a mighty -poor ividoiv ! 
worth two hundred thousand dollars, and paying an 
overseer a thousand dollars a year ; and your hus- 
band a Colonel in the Confederate army you are a 
mighty poor widow ! Soldiers, fetch that mare back 
and let the widow keep her, she is not worth riding 
to Bolivar 

As soon as breakfast was over, we again moved 
on. When within two miles of Van Buren, near 
where the road branches off to Whitesville, a little 
incident occurred to attract our attention. As I was 
riding along, in advance of the detachment, I saw a 
negro coming up the road toward me, with his hat in 
his hand, and running as fast as he could, and appear- 
ing to be wonderfully excited about something. 

" What's up ?" said I, as I met him. 

" Thar's a heap ob de secesh cavalry down by 
Massa's house, and dey gwine to git you all !" 



f* 



110 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

Here, then, was something' to do. I was well ac- 
quainted with the features of the country all about 
there, and I knew where they would most likely be 
posted, and which way they would retreat if we were 
too much for them. I was also well satisfied that 
the enemy consisted of Hall's guerrillas, from Sauls- 
bury, and that the men that we had met on our way 
down belonged to thein, and, instead of going to Mr. 
Dickens' to stay all night, had gone down to Sauls- 
bury and got out the band to capture our train, 
not knowing that we had any infantry force along. 

I sent the Captain with fifty men, to the right, 
to get to their flank in a piece of woods, where I 
was sure they would attempt to escape if wo over- 
powered them. The Captain had a corn-field to 
cross, in reaching the woods, that would cover his 
men from view. I was to watch from the top of the 
fence, and see the Captain deploy his men in the 
woods, before ordering an attack in front. 

I watched until I knew that tho Captain had time 
to reach the woods ; but, for some reason, he did not 
make his appearance. I waited as long as I thought 
it would do, and then, leaving ten men to guard the 
prisoners, I ordered the cavalry to charge, supported 
by the balance of the infantry. 

As we dashed over the hill toward the house, a 
man which proved to be Captain Richardson, was 
seen on the top of a large gate-post, watchhig our ap- 
proach About thirty feet from him in the yard 
stood a splendid mule with a new saddle. He gave 
a look at the mule and then at us, and then broke 



SCOUT AND SPY 111 

for the corn-field on foot, leaving his mule and equip- 
ments. The three men whom we met in the dark, 
and whose passes had heen approved by the sense of 
feeling, had reported to Hall's guerrillas at Saulsbury, 
and Captain Richardson had volunteered to join the 
expedition to capture us. Evidently the full amount 
of our force had not heen represented to them and 
they had not looked for a charge. As soon as the 
guerrilkis discovered that we were charging on them, 
they fled to the woods where I had ordered the Cap- 
tain to deploy his men, and they all escaped hut 
one. The Captain had halted his men in the corn- 
field, and did not take them into the woods ; had he 
done so, we might have captured the whole band, 
numbering, in all, thirty men. 

The prisoner that we captured declared that he 
was no guerrilla, but a citizen ; he told me that he 
lived in Memphis. At Van Buren, Mrs. Moore told 
me that she knew him, and that he was one of their 
nearest neighbors, and one of the finest men living in 
the county. At Mr. Marshall's we found a collection of 
neighbors, engaged in burying a child near the road- 
side. Mrs. Marshall, whom I saw there, told me that 
she knew him, and that he lived inTupelo, Mississippi, 
and that he and his wife were out there on a visit, and 
that his wife was present somewhere in the gathering. 

Just then the wife saw her husband, a prisoner, 
and begged of the Lieutenant to let him go ; " for," 
said she, " I know that he will never take the oath, 
and they will hang him, sure, and I shall never, never 
sec him again in this world ! " 



112 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

The Lieutenant passed on with his prisoner, and I 
remained behind until after the detachment had all 
passed, when I moved on. Before overtaking them, 
I met the prisoner, coming back, with a written state- 
ment, signed by the Lieutenant, that he had been 
released. Before reaching Bolivar, the wagons Avere 
loaded with forage. Aside from the forage, mules, 
and contrabands that we gathered, the expedition 
was a failure. 

The men we arrested at Grand Junction all man- 
aged to get released. I felt mortified at the result, 
because I felt sure that, if my plans had been carried 
out, we might have made a brilliant little affair of it. 
General Boss reprimanded the officers severely for 
not having obeyed my instructions. 

The reader can see by the foregoing what might 
have been done on that expedition ; yet it was a 
failure, because the parties concerned neglected to 
obey orders. It is a parallel case, on a small scale, 
to numerous others of greater magnitude, in the pro- 
secution of the war. 

Captain Bichardson, who made his escape in the 
corn-field, has since been made a Colonel of a rebel 
regiment, raised near Lahiyette, Tenn. During the 
Avinter following we again met Col. Bichardson in a 
skirmish near Lafayette, Tenn., and captured him 
and the most of his command. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 113 



CHAPTER XI. 

Sent to Lagrange — Observes two cavalrymen — Arrival at Lagrange — 
Waits for the cavalry — Accoinpanies tliem out — Takes Lis departure 
— Is pursued — Evades tlio pursuit — Finds himself cornered — Crosses 
the CjT)ress Swamp — Robbed by outlaws — Disloyal citizen — Tlie fate 
of the robbers. 

Not long after my return from running with the 
2d Arkansas Cavalry, General Ross requested mo to 
make a general reconnoisance of the country along 
the railroad as far as Lagrange, and to examine care- 
fully the trestle-work and brides of the railroad, and 
to watch for any movement that might he intended 
as an attack on the post or a raid upon the railroad. 

I went out, disguised as a citizen, mounted on a 
mule. Ten miles from Bolivar I stopped at Mr. Mar- 
shall's, were I spent an hour or more in conversation 
with the members of the family. Mr. Marshall was 
absent in the hospital, he having been wounded in 
the battle of Shiloh, and had not yet sufficiently re- 
covered to enable him to get home. 

While there, Miss Juliet Armstrong came in, a 
sister of the Confederate General Armstrong. Mrs. 
Marshal introduced me to her, not knowing that we 
were acquainted. She appeared very hopeful of the 
Southern cause. She did not evade the fact of the 



114 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

gloom and darkness that seemed to envelope the 
South, but spoke cheerful and hopeful of the result. 
She inquired if I had any late news from "owr" forces, 
and I, in turn, gained as much general information 
of Southern matters as I could. 

When passing myself as a citizen of the South, I 
have always found the people affable in their man- 
ners, sociable and extremely liberal in their hospita- 
lity. Whenever an occasion was offered them of ren- 
dering any assistance which they supposed was fur- 
thering the cause they had espoused, their kindness 
and generosity knew no bound. 

Two miles further on is the residence of Captain 
Hose, to whom I paid a visit. Captain Rose had 
served in the United States army eleven years, and 
is one of your genuine Union men, and has always 
been loyal to the Government. I have visited him 
frequently since, and was always made welcome. I 
did not disjTuise the fact that I belonofed to the Fe- 
deral army, and have several times received from him 
valuable information. It was of rare occurrence that 
I found among the citizens of that locality such 
genuine sentiments of loyalty and devotion to the 
Federal Government as I found in Captain Rose. 

I moved on leisurely, examining the railroad as I 
went, but saw nothing worthy of attention after I left 
Captain Rose until two miles West of Van Buren, where 
the road from Whitesville comes in. As I came near 
that place, I saw two rebel cavalrymen, who had 
been coming up the Grand Junction road, turn of) 
toward Whitesville. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 115 

" Halloo, boys ! " said I, hailing them, '' stop a 
minute ; I want to see you." 

" We havn't time to stop," answered one ; " our 
company has gone on to Whites ville, and. we want 
to overtake it." 

They dashed ahead without stopping-. Their re- 
ply, however, answered my purpose. " A company 
of cavalry had gone to Whitesville," and it remained 
for me to find out what it had goneybr. The two 
men were without luggage, from which I concluded 
they would return the next day ; and, knowing that 
the rebel forces were principally at Lumpkins' Mills' 
it seemed probable that when the company returned 
it would pass through Lagrange, so I resolved to go 
on to Lagrange that night. It was then nearly 
dark. 

I arrived at Lagrange about 11 o'clock at night, 
and halted at the depot. It was very dark, and 
every body had retired for the night, and, not liking 
to blunder about the place for lodging, lest I might 
encounter some rebel cavalry, I lay down upon the 
depot platform, with my bridle over my arm, ready 
to spring up at the slightest alarm, and went to 
sleep. 

In the morning I repaired to a house of entertain- 
ment, kept by a Mr. Lee, and procured some break- 
fast for myself and feed for my mule. There I 
waited for the return of the cavalry. About 1 o'clock, 
P. M., they came in and halted to feed. 

I did not think that it was prudent to mingle with 
the cavalry while they remained in town, so I had 



116 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

my mule got ready, and remained at the public 
house until the cavalry commenced to move out, 
when I mounted and moved out on the same road 
in their rear, and, at a short distance from town, I 
came up with them. I rode along in company with 
them, as if I were a citizen returning to my home 
from town. 

I asked the hoys how they liked soldiering, and 
whether they had ever been in any lights, and what 
regiment they belonged to, and various other ques- 
tions, such as I supposed a citizen would naturally 
ask ; and, finally, I inquired where they had been, 
and was told that they had been to Whitesville, on 
a scout, to see Avhether the Yankees had been com- 
mitting any depredations on the property of the citi- 
zens. In that manner I kept up my conversation 
until we were within three miles of the Cold "Water, 
without having excited any suspicion but what I 
was all right. 

I had gone as far as I cared about, and began to 
think up some plan by which I could make my exit 
from their company without exciting suspicion. To 
accomplish my object, I gradually fell back to the 
rear, and the first rise of ground that the cavalry 
went over, that was large enough to hide me from 
view until I could get a good start on my way back, 
I turned about and left them. 

I moved along on a good fast trot, occasionally 
looking back to see if I was pursued. I had made 
about four miles, when on looking back, I saw a 
squad of about fifteen cavalry in full chase after 



SCOUT AND SPY. 117 

ine. My sudden departure had excited their suspi- 
cions. I put the spurs to my inule and dashed ahead 
at the top of its speed. My pursuers gained on me. 
I urged my mule still harder, and still they con- 
tinued to gain. My situation seemed a hopeless one. 
I could not outstrip them in the chase, and they were 
rapidly gaining on me. If captured, iny flight under 
the circumstances would he conclusive evidence 
against me. Still, on I pressed, the distance between 
myself and pursuers growing rapidly less. My mule, 
too, was becoming exhausted, and my pursuers were 
within live hundred yards of me. I had come full 
three miles since I saw them giving chase. Passing 
a bend in the road, with a growth of small trees and 
brush along the fence that hid me from view, I came 
to a gap in the fence, through which I passed into a 
field. The field was covered with stubble and tall 
weeds. I dashed ahead at rig'ht anfjles with the road 
for about two hundred yards, when I came to where 
an old house once stood. I found here an old cistern 
which had caved in, and tall weeds were growing 
round it. I dismounted and led my mule down into 
this hole and we were completely hid from view. In 
a few moments I heard the tramp of horses as my 
pursuers passed on. 

I had despaired of making my escape, but as my 
pursuers passed by, hope began to revive. It was 
llien about sundown. I waited there until dark, and 
then mounted my mule and started on. I knew that 
they would soon return, and I must manage so as 
not to be seen. When I arrived at the place where 



^ 



118 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

the road turns off to the right, that goes to Davis' 
Mills, I turned to the left into the edge of a piece 
of woods Avhere I could see without being seen, and 
halted. 

In a few minutes I heard my pursuers approach- 
ing, who, when they came to the corners, took the 
road to Davis' Mills. I remained under cover of 
the woods until I thought all stragglers of the party, 
if there should be any, had passed, and then went 
on, watching carefully as I went. 

As I was riding along, the thought occurred to me 
that perhaps, my pursuers might have mistrusted 
that I had turned out into the field to evade them, 
and had placed a picket on the bridge across Wolf 
River, near Lagrange, to capture me if I attempted 
to cross. I rode on to within two hundred yards 
of the bridge, and there I left my mule and went 
forward to reconnoiter. When within a few paces 
of the bridge I stopped and listened, but did not 
hear any thing. I moved a few feet further, and then 
I thought I heard a footstep. I crept up still closer, 
and peered forward in the black distance, arid there 
I could see, on the bridge, the form of a man. I 
watched and he moved. There was no mistake 
about it ! My fears were realized ! The picket was 
there ! 

The glimmerings of hope that had lightened me 
up as my pursuers passed me now vanished. I was 
completely cornered. The only bridge besides that 
one was on the Davis Mills road, and my pursuers 
were on that road. Between the two bridges was 



SCOUT AND SPY. 119 

an extensive cypress swamp, and below the bridge 
that I was at was another swamp still worse. 
The only possible way that I could see to evade 
my pursuers was to cross the swamp betweeji 
the two brid^^es. To think of the undertaking 
was horrible ! 

I crept cautiously back to my mule, mounted, and 
rode through a dense growth of brush to my left 
until I reached the edge of the swamp, where I 
halted. To undertake to cross in daylight would be 
hazardous, and in the dark utterly impossible ; so I 
concluded to wait until morning before making the 
attempt. I laid down upon the ground, with my 
bridle over my arm, with the venomous insects and 
serpents as my companions, and the intervening brush 
over my head and the broad canopy of heaven, cur- 
tained Avith black clouds, my only covering. Such 
surroundings are not very conducive to sleep, but 
exhausted nature soon yielded, and I slept, and slept 
soundly — so soundly that when I awoke in the morn- 
ing the sun was two hours high. 

The mule, to satisfy its hunger, had eaten the 
leaves from the bushes, around where I lay, as far as 
it could reach, and yet it had neither pulled away 
from me nor disturbed my slumbers, but had been 
as careful of me and manifested as much attachment 
for me as a faithful dog would for his master. 

The mule had been presented to me by General 
Ross and had been a common sharer with me iu the 
exposures and dangers that I had experienced, and 
had borne me safely thus far, and was, perhaps, to 



120 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

be the only friendly companion to witness the end that 
would befall me. 

I had not tasted a mouthful of food since I had 
eaten my breakfast, at the public house, the morning 
before, and I was not in a very fit state of body or 
mind to accomplish such an undertaking as was then 
before me. The tug of war had come, however, and 
the Rubicon had to be crossed. 

Leading" my mule by the bridle, I started in, some- 
times at midsides in mire and water, and then on 
top of a bog or root, and ihen — splash into the water 
again, stopping occasionally to drive away the pois- 
onous water-snakes which infest these swamps. On 
I went, clambering, wallowing, splashing, and 
plunging ! As all things earthly have an end, so 
had that swamp ; and, in spite of venomous mocca- 
sins, tangled brush, cypress trees, mire and v/ater, I 
reached the river, which we forded. 

Myself and mule were frightful looking objects, 
from the mire we had wallowed through, and, before 
going any farther, it became necessary for me to clean 
off the mule to prevent suspicion. Several hours 
were spent in cleaning and drying before I felt safe 
to venture out. 

As soon as I thought prudent, I mounted my mule 
and rode on across the couiitry. I passed to the east 
of Lagrange, in sight of town, keeping a sharplook-out 
for cavalry. When I reached the Memphis and Co- 
rinth stage road, I took my course toward Bolivar. 

"When about two miles from Grand Junction, I 
saw approaching me from the east, and a long way 



SCOUT AND SPY. 121 

alfiead, three persons on horseback. I resolved to 
ilice the music this time, let come what would. My 
recent experience at running had satisfied inc. As 
they came nearer, I saw that they were dressed like 
citizens, which very much relieved my anxiety. 

One of them was a very large man, of roughly 
defined outline, with light hair and a red face ; the 
second was a medium-sized man, of fair appearance, 
and the third was a little man, with small, round 
face, black hair, and sharp, black eyes. Their cloth- 
ing was made of homespun cloth. As they met me, 
two came up on one side and one on the other, and 
halted ; so I halted. 

" Good afternoon, stranger ! " said the big man, as 
we halted. 

" Good afternoon, gentlemen ! " I replied. 

" That's a fine mule you are riding," continued 
the big man. 

" Yes, it is a tolerably good one." 

"Well, mister, we want that mule, and we are 
going to have it. Get off from that mule said the 
big man. Each of them., at the same time, drew out 
a derringer and pointed it at me. 

" You are the strongest party," said I, " and I 
suppose that you must have it." 

I dismounted, and, at the same time, two of them 
dismounted, and the big man took possession of the 
mule. It was like parting with a last friend to give 
up my favorite. 

" Have you got any money ? " said the little man, 
coming up and thrusting his hands into my pockets. 



122 ' THE GEEAT AMERICAN 

lie took out every thing that I had in them, and 
then, casting his eyes toward my feet, said: " You 
have g-ot a good pair of hoots there ; we want them." 

" Strangers," said, I,' " that's going a little too far. 
You have got my mule and got my money, and now 
to take my boots and leave me to walk twenty miles 
to my heme barefooted is too much. You canH have 
them, unless you take them off fro'ni ony dead body. 

"That is a little too hard,'' said the big man; 
" you may keep your boots." 

They then mounted *and rode away, leading my 
mule with them, in the direction from which they 
came, and I followed behind them, on foot. It is not 
often that I pray, but then I prayed. My prayer 
was, "that the Wth Illinois Cavalry would come 
dashing down on the road from Bolivar, and capture 
the lawless villains that had robbed^ ^ne of my onule 
and my money ^ 

Hungry and fatigued, with twenty miles to travel 
on foot, and that, too, upon the top of my misfor- 
tunes of the night before, made me anything but 
good-natured, and I muttered vengeance to the rob- 
bers that had taken my favorite, if ever an opportu- 
nity occurred. 

When I reached the house of old Mr. Pruett, hunger 
impelled me to stop. I found the people abs^^nt, 
except a daughter and a young lady from a neigh- 
boring family, that had called in. I found them 
obliging and sociable, i\n<\. in a lew minutes their 
fair hands, secesh as they were, had spread for mo 
a bountiful repast, much to the delight of my raven- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 123 

ous appetite. I told the ladies that I had been 
robbed of my laalc and money, and described to 
them the villains that had done it. The lady that 
had called in said that they answered the description 
of three outlaws that had robbed her uncle, a few 
days before, of $3, COO in gold, that he had just 
received for his cotton, and then beat him on the, 
head with their derringers, until they supposed Ik? 
was dead, for having sold his cotton to the Yankees. 
She also said that thoy were supposed to live near 
Ripley, Miss, 

Having satisfied my hunger, I resumed my walk 
toward Bolivar. When I came to the railroad crossing, 
I followed the railroad. I was too tired to make ra- 
pid progress, and made frequent stops to rest myself. 
When I arrived at Middlcburg it was between 9 and. 
10 o'clock at night. As I was about passing a well 
near the depot platform, I saw a person drawing a 
bucket of water. Being thirsty, I stopped and asked 
for a drink. I recognized the man as the merchant 
that kept the brick store near by ; he, however, did 
not know me. He handed me a drink, and when I 
returned him the cup, he inquired if I had any news.. 
I told him there v/as no news. 

" Have you got a Southern paper ? " 

" No, sir." 

" I would give ten dollars for a Southern paper, I 
feel anxious to hear from Baton Ilouo-e." 

"I have no paper and no news from Baton Rouo-e.'" 

" Where are you from ? " 

" Holly Springs." 



124 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

"You from Holly Springs, and ha'ii't got any 
news ! " 

" Look 'e here, mister, you are a stranger to ni'e ; 
I do'nt know who you are." 

" Oh ! I am all right ! " 

"Well, I do'nt know you. I am sent up here on 
special business," said I, in a confidential way. 

''Oh! that's it, is it? I didn't know that!" Then, 
patting me on the shoulder, he said, " Go on ! that's 
right ! I hope you will have good luck and get 
through." 

Before daylight next morning I was once more in 
camp at Bolivar. 

The next January, as the army was on its wa)^ 
back from its campaign in Mississippi, while riding 
along in advance of the infantry, I came across my 
favorite mule. It was in company K, of the 7th 
Kansas Cavalry. I went to Captain Bostwick, who 
was in command of the company, and told him that 
he had my mule, and how I came by it and how I 
lost it, and also described the men that took it away 
from me. The Captain returned me the mule, and 
told me that, while making a raid near Ripley, Mis- 
sissippi, during the fall, he had captured three men 
of the description I had given, and with tb-rm eigh- 
teen mules, including mine, and that the men had 
been sent to Alton, 111., as guerrillas; so I never had 
an opportunity of retaliating on them for their outrage 
to me! I am fully convinced that they were profes- 
sional robbers, and belonged to neither ailny. 



SCOUT AND SPY 125 



CHAPTER XII. 

starts to find General Cragg's forces — " Wools" tlio sccesli farmer — Re- 
ceives a bottlo of rum — Guerrillas -vvasliing stockings — Finds Bragg's 
advance — Recognized as a Yankee spy — Ordered off his mule to be 
sliot — Tlio clamor of the crowd — Recognized as a Confederate spy — 
Rebel surgeon vouches for him — Is released — Gray-headedrebel brought 
to justice — The Sutler of the 2d Arkansas Cavalry a xirisoner — What 
became of the guerrillas that were washing stockings. 

On one occasion Gen. Ross instructed me to cfo out 
on the Somerville road and see if I could find any of 
Daniels' guerrillas. 

" Every time," said he, " that I send out a forage 
party they will bushwhack them. Now go out twelve 
miles, and if you fmd them don't bring on an en- 
gagement, but come back and report, and I will send 
out the 2d Illinois Cavalry and try and capture the 
lawless villians." 

I took with me twenty men armed with Spencer 
rifles. We went out 12 miles and had returned within 
four miles of camp without seeing a guerrilla. 

Said the boys, "let us go down and get some sap- 
per at old man Woods'." 

" Well," said I, " let us go respectfully," so we 
marched down in two ranks, right face, at a right 
shoulder shift arms, and halting in front of the house, 
I said, "good evening Mr. Woods." 



126 THE GREAT AMErJC.O 

" Good evening! " said he. 

" Now said I, Mr. Woods, I know you are a good 
Union man, wouldn't you like to bestow a little hos- 
pitality on a few Federal soldiers ? " 

" Oh ! if you insist upon it. I know if you say 
supper, it must come ! I'm pretty well drilled." 

We ate supper and I offered to pay in Confederate 
money. "No! I don't want it! I don't want any Con- 
federate money!" "Good evening," said I, "avo must 
be going." 

When we were about twenty rods from the house 
I saw a little negro boy on a run, hat in hand. I 
halted my men and says to the darkey, " My little 
man, what's the matter? Where have you been?" 

" 01c massa Woods tole me to go out into cotton 
patch and tell the overseer to tell young Massa Woods 
there was a whole lot of Lincoln scouts at his house." 

"Now, boys," said I, "we'll fmd them directly." 
We started on quick time, when the boys says, "Gen- 
eral, what's your hurry ? " 

" My instruction from General Ross is not to bring 
on any engagement. They will be on us in a few 
minutes." 

" Let them come," said the boys, "we're ready for 
them!" 

"Well," said I, "boys! If you want to light and will 
stand up to the work, I'll stay out with you." 

"AVell, General, let's have a brush with theni ! " 

" Come on," says I, " let us get into that square 
patch of woods, and wait till they come." There 
were about five acres with cleared fields all around it. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 127 

I sent out two men as decoys on the North and South 
West. In about 20 minutes we saw them coming-. 
I called in my decoys and we all hid in the woods. 

Daniels with his sixty guerrillas formed a triangle, 
twenty men on each side, between us and camp, 
lie then sent a man with a flag of truco. It consisted 
of a handkerchief tied to a stick. I stepped out of 
the woods, and asked what he wanted. He said, 
Lieut, D. demanded a surrender of the woods without 
firing a shot, and if we did not, he would murder 
every one of us. I told him to tell Daniels, if he 
wanted the woods to come up iind get them. 

In a few minutes wo heard him give the command 
forward ! 

The boys were now eager for a shot. Said I, "Keep 
cool, keep cool, boys, and don't shoot till I have, and 
pick out your man, but don't all shoot at Daniels ! '^ 
"When within twenty feet of tho woods, I fired my 
revolver at their leader, and in an instant a volley 
from the boys emptied fourteen saddles. 

Such a panic among a squad of guerrillas has sel- 
dom been seen. We followed them with our seven 
shooters till they were out of sight. 

" Now, boys, let us go into camp. But if you want 
another brush, we can have it." ''Agreed," said the 
boys, "let's try 'em again." 

"Arms port," said I, "forward, and double quick!" 
On we went, and the guerrillas saw us running and 
thought it was their time to retaliate, and under fiiil 
spur they charged upon us. We formed a skirmish 
line across the road and met them. 



128 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

After firing" some twenty rounds, the enemy gave 
back, reformed the line, and charged again, and we 
met them as before, and our firing brought out the 2nd 
111. cavalry to our support, when the rebels broke and 
run in every direction. We then returned to camp, and 
I went with my report to Gen. E-oss. He said, "I in- 
structed you not to bring on an engagement, what 
did you do it for ? " I said, " the guerrillas got be- 
tween us and camp, and we had to shoot ahole through 
to get back." He said, " I know better, and you 
ought to be Court-martialed for disobeying orders, 
and you may consider yourself under arrest." 

I wrote to General Grant, then at Jackson, Tenn., 
gave him the particulars and he instructed General 
Ross to release me, saying, when he sent out scouts, 
and the enemy got between them and camp, if ho 
did not allow them to use their guns, he had better 
arm them with broom-handles, as they would be 
lighter to carry. 

The next trip that I made was under the following 
instructions from General Ross : 

" I understand," said he, " by report from citizens, 
that General Bragg is coming this way with his forces, 
and I want to know whether he really is coming or 
not, and on what road and with how much force. J 
want you to go to Somerville, and if you find noth, 
ing there, go to Lagrange, and thence to Grand Junc- 
tion, Saulsbury, Middleton, and Pocahontas, and then 
back. If you find a force at any place in your route, 
you will come immediately back and report. You 
will make the trip with as little delay as possible. 



SCOUT AND SPV. 129 

I received my instructions in the evening, and 
early the next morning, in the disguise of a well- 
dressed citizen, mounted on a mule, I was on my 
way. During the cool of the morning I traveled 
along at a smart trot, and by sunrise I had made 
about eight miles. When about twelve miles out, I 
was about passing a plantation house, when an old 
planter, who was feeding some hogs near the road, 
motioned me to stop. 

" Good morning, stranger," said he, as I reined up. 

" Good morning, sir." 

" Where have you been ? " 

" Oh, ho, ho, ho ; I have been to Bolivar," said I, 
laughing. " I have been there a week, and I know 
all about the Yankee forces in there, and now, if I 
can only find General Bragg, then I am all right! " 

" Oh, indeed ! I am delighted to hear it. Won't 
you alight and come in ? " 

" Well, yes, I don't care if I do ; for I have been 
riding since before daylight ? " 

I dismounted and went in, and, as soon as I was 
seated, the old man inquired who I was. 

" I have been acting the Yankee, and I belong to 
General Bragg' s command." 

" You do ? " 

"Yes, sir/'' 

" How did you manage to get into Bolivar ? " 

" Oh, I told them that I was a Union man, and 
wanted to go in and take the oath. 

"Well, there is right smart of them getsin that way, 
but there a' n't many of them that thinks it binding." 
9 



130 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

" You have taken the oath, I suppose." 

"Yes, we all do that. But, come, breakfast is ready 
sit up and eat some breakfast." 

" Thank you ; my ride this morning makes me 
quite hungry." 

The breakfast and feed for my mule was just 
what I wanted, and his invitation saved me the 
trouble of asking for it. 

With a profusion of thanks and good wishes to 
them, I bade them adieu, and resumed my journey. 
Somewhere near three miles east of Somerville is a 
beautiful spring, that makes its exit from the ground 
beneath a group of shady elm trees. There I saw 
three men, engaged in washing their stockings! It 
is not usual for Tnen to wash their own stockings in 
the ordinary peaceful avocations of life, and the fact 
of their being so engaged, and also dressed like citi- 
zens, was conclusive evidence to me that they were 
guerrillas. Riding down to the spring and dismount- 
ing, I said, "Look'e here boys; can I have a drink?" 
To which they assented, and having drank I mounted 
my mule and rode on. 

Finding no troops at Somerville, on my arrival, I 
continued on, taking ,the road that leads south to 
Lagrange, which place I reached late in the afternoon. 
There I found four regiments of infantry and two re- 
giments of cavalry. They had just arrived, and had 
not yet thrown out any pickets. The advance cavalry 
had but just entered the town, and the other troops 
were coming in the distance. 

I rode along into town among the soldiers, as fa- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 131 

miliarly as if I belonged to the place, and stopped 
near the drug store. Standing within a few feet of 
the drug store, was a hirgc, corpulent, red-faced old 
man, with hair almost white, loaning upon a walk- 
ing-stalT; near by was a Colonel, dismounted, and 
leaning with his left hand upon his saddle; all about 
were cavalry. As I reined up, the old man painted 
to me and said, " Colonel, there is a Yankee spy ; he 
ought to be shot. I know him. Colonel, and know 
that he is a Yankee spy." 

" If he is a Yankee spy he shall be shot." 

" I have seen him before. I hnow that he is a 
Yankee spy." 

" A Yankee spy ! " '' A Yankee spy ! " Shoot 
him ! " " Hang him ! " cried out the soldiers, rush- 
ing up to get a sight of me. 

" Where do you belong ? " inquired the Colonel. 

" My home is in Osceola, Mississippi County, Ar- 
kansas ; but I am from Memphis now." 

" What are you doing here ? " 

" I have been out to Somerville, and beyond to- 
ward Bolivar, to see some friends." 

" Yes, Bolivar ! " cried the old man ; " the rascal 
lias just come from Bolivar, and there is where he 
belongs. I tell you Colonel, I know him ; I know 
that he is a Yankee spy." 

" Well, if you know him to be a Yankee spy, I'll 
shoot him, (Addressing me, and drawing his re- 
volver and cocking it:) "Get off from your mule." 

I dismounted, and one of the soldiers led my male 
to one side, and the crowd opened behind me. The 



132 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

excitement was intense, and the crowd dense, and, in 
its excitement, it swayed to and fro like an angry mob, 
and cries went up from every direction, " Hang him!" 
" shoot him ! " " shoot the rascal ! " I cannot picture 
the horror that filled me. In all that vast multitude, 
there was not a friendly eye to witness my doom. 
To escape was utterly impossible ! Die I must by 
the hands cf traitors, and my fate be wrapped in 
oblivion to my comrades and relatives ! A cold tre- 
mor crept over me, and such indescribable sensations 
filled me as makes me shudder when I think of it. 

Just then Dr. Biggs, surgeon of the 4th Tennes- 
see Infantry, stepped out of the drug store to learn 
the cause of the excitement. As he came out, he 
saw me and recognized me as the Confederate spy 
that had been captured by the Federal pickets near 
his house, and who had eaten breakfast with him. 

" Colonel, you are gwine to shoot the wrong man 
thar," said the doctor. " I know that ar man, and 
I know who he is and whar he belongs. He is no 
Yankee spy." 

"I know that he is a Yankee spy," said the old man. 

" I know better il'' said the doctor ; '' and if you 
kill him, you kill the wrong man. You ar not a 
gwine to find out his business : and if you kill him, 
he'll not tell you. I know that lie is all right. I have 
seen him in a tighter place than he is in now." Then 
stepping to the soldier that held my mule, he snatch- 
ed the bridle out of his hand, and, turning to me, he 
said : " Here, take your mule ; they are not a gwine 
to shoot you." Then turning to the Colonel, and 



SCOUT AND srv. 133 

stamping his foot on the ground, he said : " You are 
not a gwine to shoot that man, for I know that he is 
all right ! " 

" Well, doctor, if you know that he is all right, 
and are willing to vouch for him, I'll let him go.** 

" I will vouch for him, for I know who he is." 
Then turning to me, he said : *' Get on your mule 
and go ahout your business ; they are not a gwine 
to hurt you." 

I mounted my mule and the soldiers opened the 
way for me, and I went a sailing out of town ; and 
I don't think I was very long in getting hack to 
Bolivar. 

I tell you, reader, in that Doctor Biggs I fully 
realized that "a friend in need was a, friend indeed.^^ 
His appearance at that critical moment was as un- 
expected as would have been a visit from an angel 
in heaven. When I reported to General Ross, I 
narrated to him my adventure, 

"Bunker," said he, "don't you know that when a 
man goes out as a spy, he goes, as it were, with a 
rope round his neck, ready for any body to draw it 
tight?" 

" Yes, I think I had a slight hint of that fact on 
this trip." 

I resolved that if ever an opportunity offered, the 
old, gray-headed rebel at Lagrange should be brought 
to account for his treatment ; so I went to the Pro- 
vost-marshal and gave him a narrative of the adven- 
ture, and a description of the rebel, so that in case 
he should ever visit the place, he might be captured. 



134 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

About two months after the foregoing fidventuro, 
Lagrange was occupied by Federal troops, and Col. 
Norton, the same officer that was Provost- marshal in 
Bolivar, now commanded the post. As I was passing 
along the streets, one day, I saw, not four feet from 
the place where I first met him, the old, grey-headed 
rebel, with his staff in his hand. His appearance 
was permanently stereotyped in my mind, and I 
could not be mistaken in the man who had so nearly 
deprived me of my life. 

Drawing my revolver, I walked up to him, saying, 
" You old, gray-headed rebel ! do you remember the 
* Yankee spij ? ' Do you ^hnow him ' now ? Have 
you ^seen him before .'" " 

" What do you mean ? " spid he ; " I don't under- 
stand you ! " 

"Yd?/ dont hnow what I mean/ You don't re- 
member telling the rebel Colonel, straiding in the 
tracks where you now stand, */ know him ; I have 
seen him before ; I hnoiv that he is a Yankee spy ! ' 
Don't tell me, you old, gray-headed villain, that you 
dont know what I mean! You start with mc to the 
commendcr of the post, or I '11 blow your brains out 
here!" 

The old fellow led the way and I follcAVcd, with 
my revolver cocked. 

"Colonel," said I, as wo entered his ofnce, "here 
is the old, gray-hcadcd devil that said to the rebel 
Colonel, 'Kill the Yankee spy' ; and I have brought 
him in for you to dispose of" 

"Bunker/' said the CcloncI, "a'n't you mistaken?" 



SCOUT AND spr. 135 

"No, I a'li't! I know him, find I found him stand- 
ing in the very place Avhero ho tried to have mo 
shot!" Then turning to the old man, I said: "Didn't 
you toll the rebel Colonel, that I was a Yankee spy, 
and try to have him shoot me ? tell me the truth, or 
IHl hill you right here ! " 

" Ye-yes, I — believe I — d-do — recollect it now-" 

^''You old whelp! You deserve to be shot! " said the 
Colonel. " Hero I have been guarding your house, 
iind guarding your mules, and boarding with you ; 
and you representing yourself to have always been a 
Union man, and the oath in your pochet that you took 
last summer! " Then turning to me, he said : "Bunker, 
I '11 dispose of him as he ought to be." 

^' Thank you. Colonel, I wish you would." 

The next morning the guards were removed from 
the old man's premisses,' and he was put aboard the 
cars, in. irons, destined to go North, 

A day or two afterward I happened to be passing 
by v/herc a number of rebel prisoners werejconfined, 
and there I saw the sutler of the 2d Arkansas Cav- 
alry (the regiment that I run with so long). The 
sutler knew me, and motioned to me to come in ; so 
I got pcsmission oi the officer in charge to go in and 
sec him. He still supposed that I was secesh. 

'■Rnggles," said he, " I am hereunder arrest as a 
guerrilla. Now, you knov/ that I am no guerrilla, 
but a regularly authorized sutler in the 2d Arkansa.'i 
Cavalry. I wish you would see the commander of the 
post and explain that fact to him, so that I may be 
treated as a prisoner of war, and not as an outlaw." 



136 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

"Well, I will tell him what I know r.bout it. 
Pcrhjips he will recognize you as a prisoner of war." 

" Thank you ! Do what you can for mo. But, 
between you and I, (speaking confidentially,) I quit 
sutlering and joined a band of guerrillas, because I 
thought that I could make more money at it. It 
was all bad management that we got captured." 

Just then another prisoner came up, and, taking 
me by the hand, said, " Don't you know me ? " 

" No, I don't remember you, as I know of" 

"Do you remember of seeing three men at the 
spring, three miles east of Somerville, last summer, 
when you were riding by ; when you stopped to 
drink.?" 

" Oh, yes ! I do recollect it now." 

" Well, we are the men." 

"Are you? " 

" Yes. Now, you know that we are only citizens, 
and that we don't belong to any guerrilla band." 

" Of course I do ! You are no guerrillas ! " 

" If you please, I want to have you go and see 
the commanding officer, and tell him that we are not 
guerrillas, but peaceable, quiet citizens.^^ 

" Certainly, boys ! I'll help you out of this, if I 
can ? " 

I went to the commander of the post and told him 
what " / kneiu about theni,^^ and did all I could to 
" get them out of that,^^ and a few days after they 
were all sent North in irons. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 137 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Reconnoitcrs Ilicliory Flats ■\vitli ii squad of seven men — Shoots at the 
mark — Orders to march with two days' rations — Cansc of the alarm — 
Eeconnoiter beyond Whitesvillo — Major Mudd's trap — " Bunker" en- 
tices the rehs into it — Rides into the trap behind a rebel Captain — 
Sent- out beyond Pocahontas — Passes as a rebel artillerist — Sccesh 
citizens stands guard for him — The very kind secesh lady — The anxious 
wife — Discovers guerrillas burning a human being. 

Near the close of September, General Ilurlbut 
arrived at Bolivar, with his division, from Memphis, 
and assumed command of the post. General Ross 
recommended me to him as a reliable and successful 
spy. I knew the General, but never had worked for 
him. I will here acknowledge that I am indebted 
to General Ilurlbut for some of the best lessons that 
I have ever received in regard to my duties as a spy. 

The first time that I went out for General Hurlbut, 
he told me that ho wanted I should go out to the 
Hickory Flats, and scout all over the flats and see if 
I could find any rebel cavalry. I asked the privilege 
of taking seven men with me, vv'hich was granted, 
and I was told to select such men as I preferred. 
At that time detachments of tlic enemy, mostly ca. 
valry, were scattered about the country, watching 
for opportunities to annoy us, by attacking our forage 
parties, and making raids upon the railroad that we 



138 THE GREAT AMEFvICAN 

depended upon to transport our supplies. It had been 
extremely difficult to find such detachments, becausr 
they usually stayed but a short time in a place, and 
generally encamped in some back, out-of-the-way 
place, concealed by swamps, woods, and cane-brakes, 
reached by unfrequented roads or paths. The object 
of my trip v/as to examine thoroughly the Ilickoey 
Flats and its vicinity for any such detachments. 

I selected my men, and proceeded to the place and 
examine it, so far as I could, on the day that I went 
out. I remained there over night, and in the morn- 
ing resumed my work, and by noon had thoroughly 
rcconnoitcrcd the locality, without having discovered 
any detachments of the enemy. We then eat dinner, 
and prepared to return. 

As wo v/cre about to leave. Sergeant Quackenbush, 
one of my squad, proposed that, inasmuch as we were 
fifteen miles away from camp, I allow the men to 
shoot a few rounds at a mark, for practice. Not 
thinking that there could be any serious consequences 
resulting from it, I consented. We all engaged in 
- shooting, following one after the other in quick suc- 
cession, until we had fired, in all, forty-seven shots. 
1 was not aware that any other scouting party had 
been sent out. Having fmished our shooting, vrc re- 
turned to camp. It was late when we arrived, and, 
being very tired, I deferred reporting to General Ilurl- 
but until the next morning. 

About 2 o'clock in the morning the troops were 
wakened up, and given orders to put two days' cooked 
rations in their haversacks, and be ready to march 



SCOUT AND SPY. 139 

at a moments notice. It seemed a strange move for 
me, for I thought that I was as well posted as any 
body of the whereabouts of the enemy. I could not 
comprehend what the move meant. 

My curiosity became so excited about it, that I 
started for head-quarters to report much earlier than 
I otherwise would have done. As I passed the differ- 
ent camps, every thing was bustle and hurry, with 
preparations for a march. The cavalry horses were 
saddled and the artillery horses harnessed, in prepara- 
tions for a move. Something was up, sure, arxd I 
wondered what it could be. 

" What's up ? What do you think is the matter?" 
said I, calling to an artilleryman, as I passed. 

'' The cavalry that Avent out yesterday reported a 
large force of rebel cavalry on the Hickory Flats, 
and I expect that wo are going out there," was the 
reply. 

It was all clear enough then ! I had done the 
mischief! I felt badly worked up about it. I knew 
that I had no business to fire a gun ; but I was so 
far away that I did not suppose any of our forces 
would hear it. It v/as my first scout for General 
Hurl but, and I expected that it would destroy his 
confidence in me. I expected a severe rebuke, at 
least, and I dreaded to report. I determined, how- 
ever, to fiico the ' music, let come vv'hat would ; so I 
went in. 

"Good morning. General," said I, saluting him as 
I went in. "I have got back." 

" Good morninfj. Bunker. What's the news ? " 



140 THE GREAT AMERICAN" 

" Nothing ; I haven't got any news this morn- 
ing." 

' ' Where did you go ?" 

"I went right where you told me to go — out to 
Hickory Flats, and back, by way of Middleburg, to 
camp." 

" Have you been out to the Hickory Flats?" 

" Yes, sir." 

" Did you see any rebel cavalry there ?" 

"No, sir, I did not." 

" Well, Bunker, your report and that of the caval- 
ry don't agree at all." 

' ' I can't help it, General ; I have been right where 
you told me to go, and I did not see any rebel cav- 
alry." 

"Bunker!" said the General with emphasis, "do 
you come here and tell me that you have been down 
on Hickory Flats, and that there is no rebel cavalry 
there ?" 

"Yes, sir, I do. I know what the trouble is. I 
expect that I'll catch ' Hail Columbia' now ! I caused 
the mischief." 

"How so?" 

"After I finished my reconnoissance yesterday, 
before starting back, I allowed the men to lire at the 
mark, and they kept up a pretty brisk fire until they 
had fired forty-seven shots. I suspect that the cavalry 
has been out there and heard it. I knew that we 
were fifteen miles away from camp, and I did not 
think that we might cause an alarm by it." 

"That's afactjs it?" 



SCOUT AND SPY. 141 

" Yes, sir." 

"Very well; that will do. Be careful the next 
time." ♦ 

An hour later all was quiet in camp ; the horses 
were unharnessed, and everything moved off as usual. 

A little incident took place during a reconnoissance 
to a small town on the right bank of the Hatchie 
River, West of Whitesville, some time in September, 
1862, that I will here narrate. 

A brigade of infantry, a regiment of cavahy, a 
battery of artillery, and the detachment known as the 
"mule cavalry" constituted the force. The cavalry 
was the 2d Illinois, under the command of Major 
Mudd. When within four miles of the town, the in- 
fantry and artillery halted, and the 2d Illinois and 
mule cavalry went on to the river. 

On several occasions, scouting parties of cavalry 
had dashed into the town, and they had always found 
some rebel cavalry, who, on the approach of the 
Federal cavalry, would break, taking a path that led 
to a ford across the river, and hide themselves among 
the canes that grew upon the bottoms along the river. 
To prevent their escape, on this occasion. Major Mudd 
sent two companies and the ' ' mnle cavalry" by the 
road into town, and took the balance 'of his command 
down the river to the ford that I have mentioned, and 
disposed his men among the canes in such a way as 
not to be seen from the side of the river next to the 
town, and, at the same time, be able to capture all 
that crossed at the ford. 



142 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

I accompanied the Major, and, after he had got 
his men satisfactorily arranged, I undressed and 
waded the river, which was about four feet deep and 
about forty feet wide, to see how things looked on the 
other side. Having dressed myself, I proceeded to 
examine the locality. I found that, at a few paces 
from the river, there was a path that turned down the 
stream and crossed at a ford below where the Major 
had set his trap. It was then too late to change the 
disposal of the men, so I resolved to act as a " stool- 
pigeon" to the Major's trap. I stationed myself where 
I would be in plain view of any person that might 
take the wrong path, and whenever a man would in- 
cline to turn down the river I would motion him to 
come toward me, as if I mistrusted there was some- 
thing wrong down below, and as he came up, I would 
say to him, as if by way of caution, " There is Lin- 
coln cavalry down there ; you had better cross here." 

Some rode across the ford without any enticing, 
and others inclined to take the wrong path ; such I 
would entice to take the right path. In this I was 
successful at every attempt. My dress being like 
that of a citizen, they did not mistrust my character. 
I had succeeded hi enticing five men into the trap, 
when a rebel captain made his appearance, with a 
pair of beautiful mouse-colored mules, as sleek as 
moles, and manifested a disposition to take the wrong 
path. He was riding one of the mules himself, and 
a colored boy was riding the other. I motioned to 
the captain to come toward me. As he came up — 

" There is Lincoln cavalry down that way," said I ; 



SCOUT AND SPY. 143 

" 3'ou had better cross here. What's the matter up 
in town ?" 

" The town is full of Lincolnites !" 

"They'll be down here directly, then : I reckon we 
had better get out of this. Won't you let me get on 
behind you and ride across ?" 

"Yes, come this way." He rode alongside of a 
bank of earth, and I sprang on behind him. We 
crossed the stream, and had ascended the bank on the 
opposite side, when, discovering the Lincolnites, with 
their carbines levelled at us, he exclaimed, "Whoa, 
mule ! Captured ! Both of us ! Wall, that's too 
bad ! Here I am, within five miles of my command, 
and captured !" 

"That's a fact. Captain, but we can't help it now. 
I expect we had better ride on up ; it's no place to 
trade jackknives here !" So we went on. 

" Whew !" said the Major, " that's the Avay I like 
to see you come ; when you come, come double !" 

We rode up to the Major, who ordered us to dis- 
mount, and, taking possession of the mules, he said, 
pointing to the group he had already captured : 
"There, you had better go right down there, out of 
sight ; that's the best place for you. How do you like 
my trap. Captain ?" 

" I think it's a very good one ; it caught me mighty 
tiice !" 

He felt sold over his capture, and doubly so when 
he learned that /had enticed him into the trap. The 
Major having succeeded in entrapping eighteen " very 
fine" rebs, we returned with the brigade to Bolivar. 



14.4 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

On the 3(1 day of October, General Price attacked 
G-eneral Rosecrans at Corinth, Miss., and, after a se- 
vere engagement, was defeated and compelled to re- 
treat. General Hurlbut immediately marched the 
troops under his command to General Rosecrans' as- 
sistance. On his way, he met the rebel arni}^ on its 
retreat, while it was crossing the Hatchie River, and 
completely routed it. 

A few days after the return of General Hurlbut's 
command to Bolivar, he sent me out to find where 
the scattered fragments of General Price's army were 
concentrating. I was allowed to take a man with 
me, and was requested to make the trip as quickly as 
possible. As I was about leaving the General's 
quarters, he called tome, "Here, come back!" I 
went back, and he continued : "I want you to un- 
derstand that you are to work for me now. I don't 
want you to tattle on the picket-line. I have been 
told that you have sometimes reported to your 
colonel ; you might as well report to a corporal as to 
a colonel, unless he sends you out. I want you to 
report to me." 

"General, explain to me, if you please, what that 
means. I have never reported to a colonel but once." 

"Well that's once too much. That's the reason 
the detachment of Armstrong's cavalry was not cap- 
tured, that you reported to General Ross, the other 
day." 

I begged the General's pardon, and promised to 
do better. I have been very careful since not to re- 
port to anybody but the officer that sent me out. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 145 

I selected Sergeant E. W. Quackenbusli, of the 
20tli Ohio, to accompany me. He had been with me 
on previous scouts. We were on foot, disguised like 
rebel soldiers belonging to artillery. 

Owing to the lateness of the hour of our departure, 
when night came on we had made but about seven 
miles. Stopping at the gate in front of a farmhouse, 
just before dark, and, addressing the man of the 
house, who was standing on the porch, I said : 
"Halloo, mister, can we get a little supper here, and 
stay all night ?'"' 

"Well, no, sir; the Yankees have done taken all 
that I had ; you can't get any supper here." 

"Partner," said I to the Sergeant, "let us go on. 
Blast that man's picture ! he'll hear from me some day 
to pay for treating his own soldiers in that way!" 

"Hold on, soldiers!" said the man; "where do 
you belong ?" 

"I am Orderly Sergeant of Price's 1st Battery of 
Artillery," I replied, "and this man with me belongs 
to the same battery. We were captured by the 
Yankees, and have succeeded in getting away from 
them ; we have been without anything to eat for 
twenty-four hours." 

"Yes, yes!" said the man's wife, who had heard 
what had been said; "you can have something to 
cat, and you can have the best bed in the house ! 
Come in, boys, come in." 

We went in and sat down. "You were in the 
fight on the Platchie, the other day, were you ?" said 
the man. 

7 



146 THE GREAT AMERICAN" 

"Yes, till we got captiired." 

" Well, liow did the fight come off?" 

' ' I can't tell you very much about it. When we 
had fired only three rounds, some Lincoln cavalry 
charged right up to us, and captured us and our bat- 
tery, and immediately sent us to the rear ; conse- 
quently, I don't know much about it." 

" I declare !" said he ; "I would like to hear from 
the fight!" 

"Have you lived in these parts long?" 

" Yes, I was raised in this county." 

" You have taken the oath to the Lincoln Grovern- 
ment, I suppose ?" 

" Yes, we all do that. I was obliged to do it, but 
I don't consider it binding at all. I have been in 
the Confederate army fifteen months ! You didn't 
know that, did you, boys ?" 

' ' No ; 3'ou had better keep that thing to your- 
self, for if the Yankees find it out they'll hang 
you." 

' ' Pshaw ! I am not afraid of their finding it out. 
But come, boys, I see that supper is ready ; sit up 
and eat some supper." 

The lady of the house had prepared us a meal 
worthy of veterans in a nobler cause than we feigned 
to represent. The table was bountifully supplied. 
In times of peace a better table would rarely have 
been set. It had been a long time since our eyes 
had rested upon such a meal. I think, however, that 
we did the subject justice. 

Having finished our supper and shoved back, the 



SCOUT AND SPY. 147 

Sergeant began to show signs of drowsiness, and in 
a few minutes was asleep in the chair. ' ' That's a 
hrave, gallant soldier," said I. "Very few men have 
the daring and the courage that he possesses ; but I 
see that the poor felloAV is tired out with his hardships, 
and has gone to sleep." 

" Poor soldier !" exclaimed the lady. "How the poor 
soldiers have to suffer !" 

" Yes, and there are very few persons, outside of 
the army, that realize the hardships and sufferings 
that the soldiers have to endure." 

" God Mess their hrave hearts P^ she exclaimed ; "how 
I do pity them !" 

The " poor soldier" was Avakened up and shown to 
bed. Before retiring, I took off my belt and revolver, 
and, handing it to the man, I said : " I^ow, mister, I 
would like to ask another favor of you. Can't you 
take this revolver and keep watch for us to-night, 
while we sleep, so that we can both get one good 
night's rest ? Can't you afford to do that much for 
us ? We have got away from the Yankees, and Ave 
don't want to be captured again." 

" Yes, I'll stand guard for you. Hoav did you keep 
the Yankees from taking your revolver ?" 

" I had it rolled up in my coat, and I carried my 
coat under my arm ^ they did not suspect that I had 
one." 

"Well, that was lucky, wasn't it?" 

" Yes, it was lucky for me, but my partner lost 
his." 

I then retired to bed. Before I had gone to sleep, 



148 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

the man visited my room, and said: "If the Yan- 
kees come, you must unhook the window-blind, shove 
it open, and jump out, and run down into a gulley be- 
hind the stable and hide, and when the Yankees are 
all dun gone, I'll come down and tell you." For some 
time before closing my eyes in sleep, I could hear the 
man pacing back and forth across the floor, like a 
sentry pacing his beat. The night passed away and 
we enjoyed a most refreshing sleep, under the ''guard- 
ing influence^^ of our secesh friend. We arose early 
in the morning to renew our journey, and found our 
guard still on duty. We were about to leave, when 
the man said, " You'll stop with us to breakfast, won't 
you ?" ' ' No, I thank you ; we should be glad to, but 
we must go, for I am afraid that the Yankees will be 
after us by-and-by, and we do not want to get cap- 
tured again. We are under very great obligations to 
you for our excellent supper and the refreshing sleep 
that we have had. You have been a soldier, and you 
know, by experience, how very grateful a soldier feels 
for such kindness." We then shook hands with him 
and his wife, bade them a good-bye, and went on. 

When we had travelled about six miles, we came 
to a large, fine, white house, with every thing about 
it that indicated wealth and refinement. Our walk 
had created an appetite for breakfast, and we con- 
cluded to give the people of the house a call. I no- 
ticed, as we entered, that breakfast was about ready. 
Addressing myself to the lady of the house, said I, 
" Can we get some breakfast here this morning? We 
are in rather a tight place. We were captured by 



SCOUT AND SPY. 149 

the Yankees in tlie fight on the Hatchie, and we 
liave run aAvay from them ; they have robbed us of 
all our money, and we have got nothing to pay you 
with." 

' ' Why, certainly you can have some breakfast. 
How you poor soldiers do have to suffer ! Sit down 
and rest yourselves." 

We sat down, and but a few minutes elapsed be- 
fore breakfast was ready, when we were invited to sit 
up with the family. The Sergeant was seated next 
to the lady, and I next to him. I had finished my 
breakfast, and was about shoving back, when the 
lady of the house said : " Don't be in a hurry, my dear 
soldiers ; eat all you want ; we have got plenty. You 
don't know when you will get anything to eat again." 

I thanked her, and moved back. When the Ser- 
geant had finished, she said: "Now, dear soldiers, fill 
your pockets with those nice wheat biscuit. The 
Lord only knows when you will get any thing more. 
How I do pity you !" 

The Sergeant declined, but she insisted. " You 
must take some. As likely as not you won't get any 
thing again for several days ; do take some. Here, 
take these," and she began to stuff them into his 
pockets, which she continued until she had filled them 
full. ' ' There ; how nicely they will relish ! 

"Partner," said I, "we had better be getting back 
to the woods again, for the Yankees might come along 
and find us." 

"Yes," said the lady, " do be very careful. Don't 
let them take you if you can help it, for you don't 



150 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

know how mucli you migkt liave to suffer. How glad 
I am to help you ! 

Thanking her for her good wishes and kindness, we 
proceeded on our way. 

That lady was a noble generous-hearted woman, and 
her eyes sparkled with crystals of sympathy while 
she was bestowing upon us those little acts of kind- 
ness. So full had she filled the Sergeant's pockets 
with cakes, that they rendered him uncomfortable 
while walking, and he was obliged to throw part of 
them away. 

The next house that we stopped at was occupied 
by an elderly lady, who, when we entered, was en- 
gaged in churning. She invited us to be seated, and 
then said : " Have you been in the fight ?" 

" Yes, we were in the fight and were caj^tured, and 
have made our escape." 

" Dear me ! how anxious I do feel about ni}'" hus- 
band!" 

" Was he in the fight ?" 

" Yes, he took his gun and went down to help whip 
the Yankees ; I am so afraid that he is killed that I 
don't know what to do ! What a dreadful thing it 
would be if he should get killed." 

Wc listened to the lady's expressions of anxiety 
about her husband until the churning was finished, 
when she gave us some buttermilk to drink, which, 
with some of our nice wheat cakes, made us an excel- 
lent lunch. 

From there we went on, without seeing anything of 
interest until we came to the vicinity of Middleton. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 151 

As we approached that pkice wc saw a dense smoke 
arise, with a peculiar odor, which was so strong as to 
attract onr attention and lead us to suspect that all 
was not right. We moved along cautiously, keeping 
a sharp lookout for soldiers or guerrillas. As we 
rose to the top of the hill to the west of the town, we 
could see a large fire, and about thirty men standing 
around it, with long poles in their hands. The odor 
that arose was almost intolerable. This was about 
three o'clock in the afternoon. We crept up as near 
as we could without exposing ourselves to full view, 
and then — oh, horrible to tell ! — we could see the men 
move about excitedly, and push with their poles some- 
thing into the fire. Then sparks would fill the air, 
and we could hear screams like those of human beings. 
Amid the screams would arise horrid oaths, and cries 
of " Bring on another P'' 

I did not see a human form in the fire ; but that 
odor, those screams, intermingled with such horrid blas- 
phemy, was unmistakable evidence that some poor mor- 
tal was suffering the hellish torture of a band of guer- 
rillas ! Perhaps some brave soldier, unable to keep 
up with his command on its return from the late bat- 
tle ; or some citizen, whose loyalty made him dare to 
breathe his sentiments ; or, some poor mortal so unfor- 
tunate as to possess a sable complexion, was there, 
immolated upon the altar of fiendish revenge. As 
familiar as I have been with scenes of suffering, 
bloodshed, and slaughter, the recollection of that scene 
is most revolting. In the face of the cruelties that 
our men have suffered at the hands of the rebels, con- 



/ 



152 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

trary to all the rules of war, it is a wonder to me that 
they have committed so few acts of retaliation. 

We did not dare to remain there long, lest it might 
be our turn next to gratify their barbarism. We went 
back down the hill, and took another direction. We 
soon found the country full of guerrillas and squads 
of soldiers that had become routed during the light. 
They were gathering together in small squads where- 
ever they could, some with arms and some without. 
The victory to the Federal troops had been a com- 
plete route of Price's army. 

I did not go as far as I had intended to go, because 
the state of the country was such that I deemed it 
imprudent to venture further ; so we returned to camp 
the next day, without a knowledge of where the scat- 
tered troops were concentrating. 

ANOTHER STORY. 

While the troops were laying along the road from 
Jackson to Grand Junction, Greneral McPherson asked 
me to make a trip to the Tallahatchie, where Greneral 
Price was fortifying, and find out the number of his 
men and the number of his artillery, and the best 
mode of attack. I told him I would if he would give 
me just such an outfit as I wanted. He said I am acting 
now as Chief Engineer, but if the Grovernment of the 
United States has got what you want, if you Avill go 
you shall have it. Said I, I'll go. Well, said he, 
Avhat do you want ? Said I, I want a first-class suit 
of citizen's clothes, a gold watch, finger rings, and 
$1 00 in gold and $50 in specie, a first-class horse, 



SCOUT AND SPY. 153 

silver-plated harness, and covered carriage. Said he 
is that all you want ? I said yes. Said he yon mnst 
be going to put on style this time ; jon are going to 
take a lady with you I presume ? Yes, said I. Who 
is it ? says he. General Armstrong's sister. 

I will have all ready this evening, so you can start 
ill the morning. 

Early next morning I Avas on my way from Jack- 
son to Yan Buren. I went to Joe Lake's where Miss 
Armstrong was residing, and asked if she would like 
to take a ride with me. 

She said yes. Where are you going ? I said I am 
not particular. 

Will you take me down to the Tallahatchie ? I 
want to go there so bad. 

Yes, said I. I'll take as fine a girl as you are al- 
most anywhere. You be ready by daylight to-mor- 
row, and w^e will make the route before sundown, it 
being sixty miles. 

At four P. M. the next day we met the rebel pick- 
ets at the Tallahatchie, who demanded a pass. Said 
the lady, that is none of your business to demand a 
pass Avhen people are going in, it is your duty to ask 
a pass when i\\Qj go out. I am General Armstrong's 
sister, and know as much about soldiering as 
you do. 

Said the picket, pass on. 

We went to General Price's headquarters and re- 
ported ourselves, and she requested the General to 
give me a patrol pass for two days. We separated 
and I saw the lady no more till the afternoon of the 

7* 



154 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

next day, when we met at the same place, and she 
said she would be ready to go home the next morn- 
ing. 

During the interval I made the most of my patrol 
pass. I saw all the works, measured the depth and 
width of the trendies, counted the guns, paced the 
width of the swamp in front, and estimated the number 
of the enemy. Next morning we met at headquarters, 
and obtained a pass reading as follows: "Pickets, 
patrols, cavalry, and guerrilla squads will pass the 
bearer, 0. L. Ruggles, with his horse and carriage, to 
Yan Buren, Tennessee, by command of Major-Gen- 
eral Sterling Price." 

I moved on with my female friend, and returned 
her safe to the depot where I found her, and reported 
to General McPherson at Jackson, to whom I turned 
over my equipments. 

I then gave him my plan of attack, which I said 
was the onl}^ possible means to get Price out of his 
position. 

My plan was as follows : Take a good force of the 
army and plenty of artillery, as if to besiege the 
place in front. Then take the balance of the army 
and make a right flank movement, crossing the river 
at Zupelo, and get in the rear of the fort, and as soon 
as Price finds out what is going on he will get out of 
the fortifications. 

When the troops moved down there the attack was 
made in the very same manner I had proposed. 

Grant moved on the front. Sherman, with forty 
thousand troops, made the flank movement, and as 



SCOUT AND SPY. 155 

soon as Price heard of Sherman's marching he evacu- 
ated the place. 

To get away from Sherman's onward march, it was 
necessary to lighten their burdens. There was strewed 
along in his pathway solid shot and shell, guns, can- 
teens, haversacks, old hats and shoes, broken wagons, 
ambulances, &c., &c. 

That this trip was any benefit to the Government, 
I leave the reader to judge. 



166 THE GREAT AMERICAN 



CHAPTER XIY. 

Starts on a trip for General Lauman — His instructions — A Confederate 
widow — Discovers a squad of rebel soldiers — Captures part of their 
arms — Learns the whereabouts of guerrillas — Attempt to capture them — 
Guerrillas escape — Captures a prisoner — Cause of guerrillas' escape — 
The " General" and squad get arrested. 

When General Hurlbut took command of the Dis- 
trict of Jackson, with his headquarters at Jackson, 
Tenn., Brigadier-General Lauman took command of 
the post at Bolivar. 

On the 13th day of October, 1862, General Lau- 
man sent for me to report to him for orders. I re- 
ceived instructions to take with me a squad of ten 
men, and reconnoitre thoroughly a strip of country 
that lay south of Bolivar, between the road to Grand 
Junction, which would be on my right, and the road 
to Pocahontas, which would be on my left. I was 
ordered to kill all the guerrillas that I could find, 
bring in all that I had strong suspicions were guerril- 
las, and capture all the straggling rebel soldiers and 
arms. The General also told me that he would send 
out cavalry on my right, on the Grand Junction road, 
and, on my left, on the Pocahontas road. He did 
not limit me in time, or the distance to go, nor in- 
struct me to take rations. I have usually, when out 
as a scout or spy, got my subsistence wherever I 
went. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 157 

The men that I selected to accompany me were 
Sergeants W. Gr. Downs and Thomas Watson, and 
eight privates, all of them from the 20th Ohio Infan- 
try. It was nearly noon of the day I received my in- 
structions before we wore ready to march. The day 
was extremely warm, and we made but slow progress. 
We did not follow any road, but took our way across 
the fields and woods, and examined all the valleys 
that lay along our route for any signs that might ex- 
ist of cavalry or guerrillas. 

At five o'clock in the afternoon we called at a 
house about eight miles from Bolivar, which we found 
to be owned and occupied by a widow lady by the 
name of Cheshire, who, by the way, is what might be 
called a Confederate widow. Her husband had be- 
longed to the Confederate army, but had deserted. 
He came home and took .the oath t)f allegiance, but, 
unfortunately for him, was captured by the Confeder- 
ate authorities, and the oath found in his pocket. He 
was carried back to the rebel army and hung. 

"At Mrs. Cheshire's we procured our supper, which 
was provided and served up by her with a cheerful- 
ness and willingness not characteristic of an enmity 
to the Federal Government. I offered to pay her, 
but she i30sitively refused to receive any compen- 
sation. 

After we had finished our supper, we moved a 
mile and a half, to Mr. Campbell's, where we halted 
for the night. Mr. Campbell was absent from home, 
but his wife extended to us every assistance that she 
could to make us comfortable. She gave us a room 



158 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

in tlie house to occupy during the night, and in the 
morning a bountiful breakfast was prepared for us, 
of which sweet potatoes and chickens formed no in- 
considerable part. I offered to pay her, but she re- 
fused to accept any remuneration, and expressed 
astonishment at the gentlemanly behavior of the 
whole party. She said that it was the first time that 
Federal soldiers had ever visited her house, and she 
had heard that they were nothing but a set of thieves 
and robbers, and, for that reason, she had been hap- 
pily disappointed in our behavior. 

Thanking her for her compliments and hospitalitj^, 
we bade her good-morning, and resumed our march. 
We had proceeded only about two miles, when we 
discovered a small squad of rebel soldiers, in a large 
cotton-field, at some distance in advance of us and 
to our right. As soon as they saw us, they broke 
for the woods ; the distance that they had in advance 
of us made it useless for us to pursue. 

Near the road, and between where we saw them 
and ourselves, stood a dwelling-house. Having ob- 
served that but one of the rebs had arms, the thought 
occurred to me that the others might have left theirs 
at the house, and that our approach had been dis- 
covered too late to allow of a return for them ; so I 
determined to institute a search. On entering, I 
inquired of an elderly man present if there were 
any arms about the house. He said there was not. 
T told him that I had reason to believe that there 
was. He insisted that there was not. A search 



SCOUT AND SPY. 169 

was made, and three guns were found, which we de- 
stroyed. 

At night we halted fourteen miles from Bolivar. 
On former trips I had learned that a squad of 
guerrillas were stopping somewhere in that vicinity ; 
during the day we had obtained a partial list of 
thpir names, and had learned that they were har- 
bored by a Mr. W. S. Perry, who was also supposed 
to be one. This information we gathered from the 
people that we saw in our route. 

At 3 o'clock the next morning we were again 
under way, on a road leading direct to Mr. Perry's. 
When we had gone about a mile, we came to a farm- 
house, where I halted my men, and aroused the 
inmates by rapping upon their door, which was an- 
swered by, "Who is there?" 

" A friend," I replied. 

"What do you want?" 

"I want you to get up and come to the door." 
Hearing some one come to the door, I inquired where 
Mr. W. S. Perry lived, and was asked : 

" Who are you?" 

"I sha'n't tell you," was my reply. 

" Then I sha'n't tell where Mr. Perry lives," was 
the response. 

Fearing to make any disturbance that might spoil 
my plans, I proceeded on my way, without obtaining 
the desired information. At the next house I in- 
quired again for Mr. Perry, but the occupant refused 
to inform me. These refusals increased my suspicions 



160 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

that lie was not all right. Not knowing certainly 
but that I was already at his house, I distributed 
my men along the negro-quarters in the yard' to 
capture any persons that might attempt to escape. 
It was time for daylight to make its appearance, but 
a dense fog had arisen, which made it difficult to 
see. 

Having arrangeci my men to my satisfaction, I 
returned to the door of the house, which I found 
open, and was met by an aged woman, who told me 
that her name was Tabitha Perry, and that she was 
grandmother of W. S. Perry, and that W. S. Perry 
lived in the next house. 

While I was engaged in conversation with the old 
lady, two men were seen to run out of one of the 
outbuildings that stood in the yard ; the density of 
the fog prevented shooting them, or observing whither 
they went ; so they made their escape. On exam- 
ining the building they were seen to emerge from, it 
was found to have the appearance of being nearly 
lilled with cotton-seed, but in the centre of the build- 
ing there was a large vacant space, and in it was a bed 
that was jct warm from the animal heat of the per- 
sons that had occupied it. 

We then searched carefully all the buildings in 
the yard, but without success. From there v^e went 
to the residence of W. S. Perry, only a short dis- 
tance from the residence of the old lady. We found 
Mr. Perry at home, and arrested him. In searching 
his house, we found considerable quantities of goods, 
that looked as if they might have been remnants 



SCOUT AND SPY. 161 

from some dry-goods store ; or, what is more prob- 
able, the booty of some band of outlaws. 

We captured at W. S. Perry's one horse and two 
mules, and at the old lady's house one horse and one 
mule. The bed that we found in the cotton-seed at 
the old lady's we gave to the negroes on the place, 
except two quilts that we used to put on the mules' 
backs, to ride on. 

Yery much against Mr. Perry's wishes, I com- 
pelled him to furnish m^'self and my men with break- 
fast, which was no more, perhaps, than he would 
have done willingly to as many guerrillas, if we had 
not been seen in the neighborhood. 

When breakfast was over, we commenced our re- 
turn to camp, taking with us our prisoner and cap- 
tured property. The men were much in need of 
saddles and bridles, with which to ride the captured 
mules and horses, and requested the privilege of 
taking them if they could be found ; to which I 
consented, providing they could be fouud on the 
premises of the man who refused to give me infor- 
mation about Perry. The man's name, I had learned, 
was Dougherty. 

When we arrived at Dougherty's place, we halted, 
and the men commenced to search for saddles and 
bridles, and, in a few minutes, reported to me that 
they had found twelve United States army saddles and 
as many bridles. I told them to take five of them. 
Dougherty remonstrated, but the men told him that 
he had no business with that kind of property in his 
possession, and took them along. 



162 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

On our Avay back to Bolivar, I learned the reason 
why we did not find any more guerrillas at Perry's. 
A colored boy, belonging to Mr. William Moore, of 
Yan Buren, had been sent to mill, and, while on his 
way, he happened to see us. On his return, he told 
his master that he had seen some Yankee soldiers 
in the woods, and that they were going south. Dr. 
Tansey Eussel, a man of disloyal proclivities, hap- 
pened to be present, and heard what the colored 
boy said. The doctor had some Enfield and Whit- 
ney rifles in his possession, that he had managed to 
get of unprincipled Federal soldiers, which he had 
collected for the benefit of the guerrillas. As soon 
as he heard of the YAnkee soldiers being in the 
woods, he concluded, readily enough, what their 
business was ; so he took his guns, eight in all, and 
carried them over to Perry's, and gave them* to the 
guerrillas, and Avarned them that there were Yan- 
kee scouts in the vicinity. There was eleven of 
them, besides W. S. Perry. On hearing about the 
scouts, they all left and went to Saulsbury, except 
W. S. Perry, John Shaw, and Gid. Galloway. The 
two latter were the persons that escaped from the 
outbuilding in the old lady's yard. 

When we arrived within six miles of Bolivar, I 
sent the five men that were not mounted across the 
country, by the shortest route, to camp, and the rest 
of us went on by way of the road. At Mr. Law- 
horn's, near Dunlap's Springs, we halted a short 
time, and three of us went into the house. Mr. 
Lawhorn was absent from home. One of the men 



SCOUT AND SPY. 163 

asked Mrs. Lawliorn for some milk, which she re- 
fused, saying that she had none. From the colored 
people about the house the man learned that she 
had milk in abundance, and where it was, of which 
he helped himself, and then passed some to the rest 
of the squad. None was wasted and nothing else was 
disturbed. 

Having rested ourselves, we went on to Bolivar. 
I immediately turned over my prisoner to the Pro- 
vost-martial, Lieutenant W. S. Dewey. I also 
gave him a list of the names of those that I had 
been informed were guerrillas. It was afternoon 
when we arrived, and we had eaten nothing since 
breakfast, and, being very hungry, I took my men 
into camp to get my dinner, before reporting to Gen- 
eral Lauman. On my arrival in camp, I told Col- 
onel Force what property I had brought in, and 
asked him what I had better do with it, and was 
told to turn it over to the post Quartermaster. I 
told him that I would, as soon as I had eaten some 
dinner. 

I had taken my dinner, and was on my way to 
see about turning over the captured property, when 
I was met by some guards, with an order from Lieu- 
tenant W. S. Dewey, Provost-martial, to arrest me. 
I accompanied them to the Provost-martial's office, 
where I found Lieutenant Dewey, in a dreadful rage. 

' ' What do you want of me ?" I asked. 

" I want to hang you, and all the rest of the rob- 
bers that were with you !" was his reply. 

"What is that for ?" 



164 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

" For going through the country and deceiving the 
13eople, and representing yourself as a citizen of Ten- 
nessee." 

" I have never been through the country, except 
as I have been sent on scouts by my commanding 
officer." 

" I'll scout you ! I'll scalp you ! What's the name 
of the men that belong to your band ?" 

" I haven't got any band." 

" What's the names of the men that were out with 
you ?" 

I then gave him a list of the men that accompa- 
nied me, and Avas then ordered to be put in the guard- 
house. The court-room of the court-house was used 
as a guard-house. The Provost-marshal's office was 
in one of the lower rooms of the court-house. 

The Provost-marshal had all the men that had been 
with me arrested, and when he had got us all together 
in the guard -house, we were marched, under guard, 
into his office. Addressing us, he said : 

" There has been a great deal of stealing and rob- 
bing going on in the country about here, lately, and I 
believe that you are the men that have done it, and I 
mean to make an example of you, and I shall use my 
utmost endeavors to have every man of you shot." 

"What have we done," I inquired, "that you 
should have such an awful antipathy against us ?" 

" You will see when I make out my charges and 
specifications. G-uards, take them back to the guard- 
house." 

When back in the guard-house, and left to reflec- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 165 

tion, the words, " I shall use my utmost endeavors to 
have you shot," seemed to force themselves upon my 
mind with vivid impression. What could it mean, 
that an officer in the United States army should ex- 
press himself so emphatically, against us, when jus- 
tice everywhere holds a man to be innocent until he 
is proved to be guilty. 

While I had been in camp getting my dinner, the 
Provost-marshal had released Mr. Perry, and had 
administered to him the oath of allegiance, and re- 
turned to him the property that we had taken. On 
being released, Mr. Perry found Doctor Russel, Par- 
son Hamers, and Mr. Lawhorn — who happened to be 
in town at the time — and, in company with them, 
went to the Provost-marshal, (who tolerated their 
complaints), and fabricated such statements as they 
chose to make against us, and upon those statements 
the Provost-marshal based his charges and caused our 
arrest. 

It was humiliating in the extreme, for us, after 
having served our country with devoted patriotism, 
and imperilled our lives for its preservation, to be thus 
made the victims of revenge by those who we knew 
were at enmity with the G overnment. 

The reader will remember that I once arrested 
Parson Hamers, while standing picket for the enemy, 
and released him. Doctor Russel, I had learned from 
reliable sources, had been engaged in contraband 
trade between Federal soldiers and guerrillas. Mr. 
Lawhorn had tried to induce one of the men under 
arrest with me to desert, and, to prevent suspicion 



166 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

of desertion, offered to carry him in his own carriage 
to a rebel paroling officer, and get him paroled and 
bring him back. Perry had been captured on suspi- 
cion of being a guerrilla. Such were the men that 
were allowed to make statements against me. 

It is easy to conceive how such men would connive 
together for the injury of Federal soldiers, if they 
could only get the military authorities to tolerate 
their complaints and give them a hearing. Under 
such a state of affairs, it would be an easy matter for 
any disloyal citizen to cause the imprisonment of any 
soldier, however spotless his record. 

When men are mean enough to attempt the de- 
struction of the fairest and the best Government that 
ever existed, and to insult that national emblem which 
has called forth the honor and respect of the world, 
it is no wonder that they should resort to falsehood, 
or any other vile means, to wreak their vengeance 
upon those that love their country. 

It was extremely unfortunate for us that we were 
thus imprisoned during the command of a temporary 
post-commander, to whom I was an entire stranger, 
and that, too, at a time when a new and extensive 
campaign was about to commence. 

The charge and specifications, as preferred against 
us, were very informal, and it is doubtful whether any 
court-martial would have attempted a trial based on 
such informalities. But, nevertheless, contrary to all 
rules and regulations of war, this Provost-marshal 
claimed that there were grounds for charges, and we 
were arrested and placed in confinement. 



SCOUT ANT) SPY. 167 



CHAPTER XY. 

Assistance of friends — Fails to get a trial — Gloomy prospects — Evidence 
accumulates — Guard-house incident — Tlie " General" concludes to help 
himself— Narrow escape from guen-illas — The capture — Keaches his 
regiment — Himself and squad released. 

On the 28tli day of November, the Army of the 
Tennessee commenced to move from Lagrange, on its 
campaign into the State of Mississippi, and with it 
was crushed all hope of our immediate trial. With 
the movemenjt of the army, the court-martial had been 
dismissed, and our witnesses, friends, and counsel 
scattered beyond a proll3ability of rendering us any 
assistance for a long time ; and, to make the matter 
still more unpleasant, we were confined in a dirty, 
filthy building, extremely loathsome and unhealthy, 
and too small for the number of men confined. 

During our confinement, up to the time the army 
moved, evidence continued to accumulate in our favor. 
The list of guerrillas that I had given to the Provost- 
marshal, he had destroyed the same day that it was 
handed to him. During our confinem(fnt, W. S. Per- 
ry, and all the persons named in the list that I gave 
him, were captured by a detachment of the 7th Kan- 
sas Cavalry and sent North as guerrillas, showing 
conclusively that I had not been mistaken in suppos- 



168 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

ing them such. In taking their property, under the cir- 
cumstances that I found it, I did no more than any 
detachment of troops would have done under the same 
instructions. 

The property found at W. S. Perry's was evidently 
plunder that had been seized by himself and band. 
The specifications against us were grossly false. What 
property Ave did take, I was making arrangements to 
turn over to the Quartermaster when I was arrested, 
showing conclusively that I did not take it for my 
personal benefit. 

The lady that we were charged with having fright- 
ened, not one of us had ever seen ; neither had we 
ever been nearer than three-quarters of a mile of Mr. 
Hendrick's house. Mrs. Cheshire visited us twice 
while we were confined at Bolivar, and spoke very 
complimentary of our behavior while at her house, 
and assured us that we need not feel at all uneasy 
about the charge of frightening Mrs. Goforth, because 
that it could easily be proven that "her husband was 
in the rebel army, and had not been home for more 
than a year !" Doctor Eussel was the man that 
trumped up the charges about Mrs. Groforth. A sol- 
dier by the name of William Goodheart, of the 20th 
Ohio Regiment, visited Dr. Russel, one day, and, in 
the course of conversation, remarked, " Doctor, you 
have got some of the Yankee soldiers in rather a 
tight place, haven't you ?" 

" Yes, I have had some of them shut up awhile." 

" Well, it will be apt to go pretty hard with them, 
won't it ?" 



SCOUT AND SPY. 169 

"No, I think not. I don't expect to prove any- 
thing against them. They will probably get clear in 
the end ; but it will keep Ruggles from running all 
over the country and representing himself as a citi- 
zen of the State of Tennessee." 

Parson Hamers, in specification seventh, accuses me 
of stealing his watch, but neglects to fix the date of 
the theft. He afterward fixed the date as the 30th of 
September. My company commander was able to 
show that I was in camp on the 29th and 30th of Sep- 
tember and on the 1st of October. In a conversation 
with Parson Hamers, had in the presence of Sergeant 
E. W. Quackenbush, of the 20th Ohio Regiment, a 
few days before I was arrested, he spoke of having 
had his watch stolen, and said that he was so sick at 
the time that he did not know who took it. 

During our confinement we were under the custody 
of four difi'erent Provost-marshals. As a general 
thing, we met with kind treatment from those that 
were guarding us, and oftentimes, through the kind- 
ness of officers and men, we received favors not usu- 
ally given to soldiers under arrest. There were a few 
exceptions to our kind treatment, and I will narrate 
an incident illustrative of it : 

The whole number of prisoners confined in the 
guard-house at the time I allude to, including my own 
squad, was forty-three, and we all occupied the same 
room. Among the prisoners confined with us was a 
very young soldier — a mere boy — by the name of 
George Stevenson, of the 78th Ohio. He had been 
in confinement much longer than myself and squad, 

8 



170 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

and was noted for being decidedly a " hard case." 
His recklessness sometimes caused restrictions to be 
placed upon all confined, thereby causing the inno- 
cent to suffer for the guilty. 

One night, George took a rail from off the banis- 
ters that surrounded the stairway, and placed it from 
the portico in front of the court-house into a tree that 
stood close by, and, by that means, got out of the 
guard-house unobserved by the guard, and spent the 
evening in town. On his return, he neglected to take 
the rail away. In the morning the officer of the guard 
discovered it, and concluded correctly what it had 
been placed there for. He commenced an inquirj^ of 
the prisoners to find out who put it there. None of 
the boys would acknowledge having done it. Several 
told him that they supposed George had done it. 
George denied it, and nobody had seen him do 
it. 

The officer would not take suppositions as to who 
did it, but told us that he should hold us all responsi- 
ble for a correct report of who did it, and would give 
us till roll-call at night to find out ; and at that time, 
if we did not report, we should all live on nothing but 
bread and water until we did. 

We told him that we had already said all that we 
knew about it, and that we did not feel like submit- 
ting to punishment as a body for the acts of an indi- 
vidual. Roll-call came, but nobody was able to re- 
port. We were then told by the officer that we should 
have nothing but bread and water until we reported 
who did it. 



SCOUT AND SPY. I7l 

During the night, the boys took several pocket- 
handkerchiefs and made a black flag, about three feet 
square, and fastened it to a long strip of moulding, 
which they tore off from the woodwork of the room, 
and hoisted it upon the top of the court-house cupola. 
In the morning it attracted everybody's attention by 
its disgusting appearance, as it floated from the most 
conspicuous place in town. It created universal in- 
dignation throughout the town. 

The officer of the guard came up and ordered us to 
take it down. TV*e replied that as long as we had to 
subsist upon bread and water, it was the flag that we 
rallied under. He then ordered the guards to make 
us remove it. As they were attempting to come up 
the stairs, G-eorge, who had armed himself with an 
armful of bricks from the fireplace in the room, 
opened fire upon them from the head of the stairs, 
which made them beat a hasty retreat, and the officer 
could not induce them to renew the attempt. In about 
half an hour, a detail came, armed, not with guns and 
bayonets, but with messpans and kettles, filled with 
soft bread, beefsteak, and coffee. It is needless to 
add, the "additional re-enforcements" compelled us to 
"surrender" and take down the flag. As long as we 
remained in charge of that officer, we continued to re- 
ceive an abundance of good, wholesome rations. 

During our confinement in the guard-house at Bol- 
ivar, quite a number of rebel soldiers, that had been 
captured by the Federal cavalry, were temporarily 
confined with us. Several of them were men that 
belonged to the 2d Arkansas Cavalry, and I had be- 



172 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

come acquainted with tliem during the time that I was 
with that regiment. 

On the 3d day of December, 1862, five days after 
the army had advanced from Lagrange, I came to 
the conclusion that I had been confined long enough, 
and that my only way of getting myself and men re- 
leased, without delay, would be to visit in person my 
commanding officers, and lay the case before them. 
One inducement that I had was, I had learned that 
there were no papers in the hands of the Provost- 
marshal with charges against us. They had either 
become lost, or, what is more probable, were returned 
to the officer that preferred them, on account of in- 
formalities. In the absence of such papers, I felt 
convinced that 1. could get an order for the release 
of myself and men. It was an unmilitary way of 
doing business, but, nevertheless, I resolved to leave 
the guard-house, without authority, to obtain authority 
for my release and that of my men. 

We had been in confinement fifty days, and before 
I could reach the army it would be more than a 
hundred miles from Lagrange. It was a great under- 
taking to leave the guard-house without authority, 
and, without rations, to run a gauntlet of that dis- 
tance through Federal pickets and railroad guards, 
stationed at frequent intervals along the whole route, 
every one of whom would halt me to examine my pass, 
or would turn me back if without one. 

Sergeant T. J. Watson volunteered to go with me. 
How we got out of the guard-house it is not necessary 
for me to mention. From Lagrange we took a south- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 173 

east course, across the country toward Davis' Mills ; 
we struck tlie railroad where the wagon road crosses 
it. There we found some pickets, belonging to a de- 
tachment of five companies stationed at Davis' Mills, 
under command of a Major, and charged with guard- 
ing a portion of the railroad. At the time we ap- 
proached them, they were all, except the sentry, en- 
gaged in cooking a part of a fat porker that they had 
confiscated during the night. We halted and entered 
into conversation with the boys, as though we had no 
intention of going on. Having finished their cooking, 
they asked us to eat with them, which we were no 
way backward about doing. We finished our break- 
fast, and were about starting on, when the sentry, 
who had been more attentive to duty than we had 
hoped, asked us if we had passes. I told him we had 
not, and that we were on our way to the front, and 
had not been asked for passes before, and did not 
know as it was necessary to have them. With that 
explanation, the sergeant of the guard let us pass, 
but told us that it would not do to let the Captain in 
command see us. 

Not liking to run our chances with him, we crossed 
the railroad and left it to our right, and crossed 
Davis' Creek on a log, and, a short distance from the 
creek, turned to our right, so as to reach the bridge 
across Wolf Eiver, near Davis' Mills. As we were 
passing through the cleared fields, I discovered to 
my left, on a rise in the ground, a squad of guerrillas, 
mounted* on horses. We were within easy shot 
of them. We were then within half a mile of the 



174 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

detachment camped at Davis' Mills ; they probably 
did not wish to alarm the Federal pickets. They 
had evidently discovered us first, and were watching 
for an opportunity to " gobble us up." 

"Tom," said I to the sergeant, "what kind of sol- 
diers do you call them ?" 

" What kind are they, Bunker?" 

" They are a band of guerrillas, and they will have 
us in less than a minute, if we don't get away from 
here." 

Just then the guerrillas started for us. 

" Come on, Bunker; for God's sake, let us run!" 
said Tom. "They are coming now !" 

Turning square to the right, away we went, as 
hard as we could run, toward Davis' Creek. A hun- 
dred and fifty yards brought us to a dense growth 
of brush and briars, so thick as to seem impene- 
trable. There was no getting around it, for our pur- 
suers were close upon us. With all the strength we 
could muster, we sprang into that briar patch and 
scrambled through. It was no time to mind scratches, 
and so we dashed on to the creek. Our pursuers 
could not get their horses through the briars, and 
before they could get round them, we were across 
the creek. We made our way to Davis' cotton- 
gin, where we found a picket post. A few paces 
from the post, the guerrillas were in sight. I showed 
them to the pickets, and told them I would go and re- 
port the guerrillas to the Major in command. 

Having found the Major, I said :" Major, there 
are about thirty guerrillas just across Davis' Creek, 



SCOUT AND SPY. 175 

not half a mile from here, and if you will get out 
your men, you can surround them and capture them." 

" Who are you?" he inquired. 

"I am a scout for the Government." 

"Where are you from?" 

" Wliy I am right from the guerrillas," said I, 
getting out of patience ;" they have just chased me 
through a briar patch. Look at my hands and face, 
if you want any evidence of it. You can see the 
guerrillas from the cotton-gin." 

" Who is that man with you?" 

" Which is of the most importance. Major, for me to 
sit down and tell you my history, or for you to get 
out your men and capture those guerrillas ?" 

By this time the pickets had become alarmed, and 
sent in for support. The long roll began to beat, and 
everything was excitement. Then was my time to 
get away. 

"Come on, Tom," said I to the Sergeant; "we 
must pass the pickets at Wolf River Bridge during 
the confusion incident to this alarm, or we will not 
get away from here without trouble." 

As I had expected, the confusion enabled us to get 
by the pickets at the bridge. We continued on until 
about seven o'clock in the evening, when we were 
halted by a railroad guard. The guard allowed us 
to come up, and we stayed at the post all night. 
Before we went to sleep, a messenger came along on 
a hand-car, with orders to double the guards during 
the night, for an attack on the railroad was intended, 
and that thirty guerrillas had already been captured 



176 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

at Davis' Mills, and tliat more were supposed to be in 
the vicinity. 

At daylight I tried my persuasive influence upon 
the guards, and succeeded in getting leave to pass. 
From that on we had very little difficulty in passing 
the guards. When we had gone about half a mile, 
we met six rebel soldiers, of the 8th Kentucky Regi- 
ment, on their way to give themselves up. They had 
become tired of the rebellion, and were anxious to 
return to their homes. From them I learned that a 
raid upon Holly Springs was in contemplation by the 
forces of Generals Van Dorn and Tighlman. The 
rebel deserters were so candid in their statements 
that I deemed them reliable ; and when we reached 
Waterford, where General Ross' division was en- 
camped, I called at his headquarters, to report what 
I had learned. General Ross was absent, so I re- 
ported to the Adjutant-General. We then resumed 
our journey, and in five days from the time we left 
Lagrange, we reached our regiment, then at Oxford, 
Miss. 

I immediately reported to Colonel Force, who in- 
quired if I had been released from the guard-house. 

I said, " No, sir ; we ran away." 

" Well, Bunker, I am sorry to say it : I can't har- 
bor you in my regiment." 

" I suppose, then. Colonel, that the best thing that 
we can do is to get away from here ; ain't it ?" 

" Well, I don't know but it is." 

I then left him and went to General Leggett, com- 
manding the brigade, and told him the situation of af- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 177 

fairs. He told me that we need not go back to the 
guard-house, and that we might stay with the regi- 
ment. I told him that I did not wish to stay, unless 
the men of my squad were released. He assured me 
that they should be, and immediately went in person 
to Major-General McPherson and explained the situa- 
tion of affairs to him. He issued an order releasing 
the whole of us. When the order reached the men 
in the guard-house, they had been in confinement 
fifty-eight days. They reached the regiment when it 
was encamped about three miles south of the Yacona 
Eiver. 

During our confinement, very much interest and 
sympathy was manifested for us by both officers and 
men, and many of them rendered us valuable assist- 
ance. To General M. D. Leggett and Colonel M. F. 
Force, and to Captains F. M. Shaklee, E. C. Downs, 
and B. A. F. Greer, of the 20th Ohio, we are under 
very great obligations ; and to the officers and men 
of the 78th Ohio and the 17th Illinois Eegiments, 
who guarded us during the greater part of our con- 
finement, I will here take the opportunity to express, 
in behalf of myself and squad, sincere and heartfelt 
thanks for their kindness and assistance. 



178 THE GREAT AMERICA!^ 



CHAPTER XYI. 

Starts for Grenada — Instructions — Is captured — Returns to "Water Valley 
— Starts again — Arrives at Grenada — Condition of Price's army — He 
returns — Again sent to Grenada — Proposes some fun — Plan of strategy 
— Plan unnecessary — Returns with rebel cavalry — Bivouac at Big 
Springs — The attack — More fun than bargained for — The result. 

Soon after I joined my regiment, the army ad- 
vanced to the Yacona River, and the brigade to which 
I belonged was made the advanced post of infantry, 
and was stationed three miles south of the river. I 
had been with the brigade but a few days, when Gen- 
eral Leggett requested me to make a trip to Grrenada, 
a distance of thirty- two miles. 

As General Grant's army had advanced. General 
Price's army had been forced back, and the move- 
ments of the Federal forces had been so skillfully 
managed as to cause Price, after evacuating his strong 
position at the Tallahatchie River, to make a hasty 
and rapid retreat to Grenada, which place he then 
occupied. 

General Leggett wanted me to find out the strength 
and condition of Price's army ; of what his force con- 
sisted, and if possible, what were his intended move- 
ments. 

I started out on foot, disguised like a rebel soldier, 
with a pass to Major-General Lee, formerly Colonel 
of the 7th Kansas Cavalry, who was stationed live 
miles in advance of the infantry, at a railroad station 



SCOUT AND SPY. 179 

called "Water Valley. I carried with me a request 
to General Lee that he would pass me through his 
lines, if it would not interfere with his arrangements. 
The General detained me over night, and then passed 
me through. 

I went on through Cofferville, and to Avithin a mile 
of Grenada, without being molested. Not liking to 
venture in on the direct road from Water Yalley, I 
turned to my left Avhen within a mile of the place, 
calculating to enter the town on some other road. I 
had proceeded but a short distance, Avhen I met three 
soldiers, dressed exactly like rebel soldiers, who cap- 
tured me and made me turn back. 

When we came back to the Water Yalley road, I 
vras surprised to find that I was being taken toward 
Water Yalley instead of Grenada. I then found that 
I had been captured by soldiers belonging to the 7th 
Kansas Cavalry. I tried to make them believe that 
I was a Federal soldier, and was scouting for the 
Government, but it was of no avail ; they were not to 
be persuaded out of their prisoner. 

We had travelled but a few hundred yards after 
taking the Water Yalley road, when we met a negro,' 
who was riding a splendid mule, with a nice saddle, 
bridle, and spurs, and was carrying on the mule, in 
front of him, a sack of corn meal. 

"Halt, you smoked Yankee," said one of the sol- 
diers. "Get off from that mule and let white folks 
ride !" 

The negro dismounted and turned over his estab- 
lishment to me, and then, shouldering his meal, he 



180 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

resumed his way. I mounted the mule with a light 
heart, hoping that General Lee would permit me to 
retain it. 

When we arrived at Water Yalley, I was taken to 
General Lee, who, on inquiring of the soldiers where 
they caught me, elicited the fact that they had ran 
away from camp and gone to Grenada without leave. 

"Go to your quarters, men," said the General; 
" I'll take care of your prisoner now, and take care 
of you in the morning." 

The next morning I started again for Grenada, 
mounted on the mule taken from the negro the night 
before, with a letter to Captain Townsend, who had 
been sent to the vicinity of Cofferville, during the 
night, with a detachment of cavalry, requesting him, 
if admissible, to pass me on. On reporting to the 
Captain, he informed me that he had men deployed 
all through the country about Cofferville, watching for 
rebel scouts and stragglers, and that it would be haz- 
ardous for me to undertake to get through, and advised 
me to remain with him until his men came in before 
attempting to go on. 

It was so late in the afternoon wiien the cavalry 
came in that I concluded to remain with the Captain 
all night. In the morning I resumed my journey, and 
at one o'clock P. M., without having experienced any 
difficulty in passing the rebel pickets, I entered Gre- 
nada. 

The first thing that attracted my attention was the 
suffering and destitute condition of the infantry and 
artillery soldiers. Yery many of them were lame 



SCOUT AND SPY. 181 

and foot-sore. Hundreds of them were bare-footed, 
and very many of them were bare-headed, and all of 
them more or less ragged and destitute of blankets. 
Sickness prevailed to a great extent. The soldiers 
were loud in pronouncing curses upon General Sher- 
man, whom they represented as having brought on 
much of their suffering b}^ attempting to execute a 
flank movement upon them while in their intrench- 
ments at the Tallahatchie River, which caused them to 
make a precipitate retreat to Grenada. 

A sergeant, in describing to me the retreat, said : 
''So closely were we pressed, that while camping at 
"Water Valley for the night, after a hard day's march, 
we undertook to get some breakfast before resuming 
our march in the morning, and had hardly commenced 
when the Yankees commenced shelling us, and we 
had to leave. We then marched to the vicinity of 
Grenada, and there worked several hours at cutting 
down timber and forming abattis, to protect us from 
the Yankee cavalry, before resting long enough to 
get any thing to eat." 

From such hardships and exposures, and the pre- 
vailing destitution of clothing at the worst season of 
the year, the men had become sick and disheartened. 
Artillery horses were in as bad a condition as the 
men, having been worked and short-fed until nearly 
starved. Large numbers of sick, lame, and foot-sore 
men were being sent on the cars to Jackson, Miss. 
The heavy artillery and commissary stores were also 
being sent there. Every thing indicated to me that 
General Price did not expect to hold the place. 



182 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

As near as I could learn, General Price's army at 
the Tallahatchie was about eighteen thousand ; but 
the force then in Grenada did not exceed twelve 
thousand. What cavalry troops there were in the 
place seemed to be much better clad and in better 
spirits than the infantry or artillery. 

I remained in Grenada two nights, and then started 
back. I took the road that leads to Pontotoc. I 
came out, and had proceeded but a short distance, 
when I was overtaken by three regiments of rebel 
cavalry. As they came up, I fell in with them and 
accompanied them. In conversation with one of the 
captains, he told me that " they were on their way to 
assist General Van Dorn to make a raid upon Holly 
Springs and the railroad, to cut off the Yankee sup- 
plies." He expressed himself as very confident of 
success, and remarked that "if we can't w^hip the 
Yankees by force of arms, Ave can by starvation." 

About twelve miles from Grenada, we came to a 
large plantation, owned by a wealthy planter by the 
name of Leggett. Mr. Leggett had evidently ex- 
pected the cavalry along, and had caused to be pre- 
pared a large wagon-box of corn-cakes, of about a 
pound and a half weight each, and a large quantity 
of fresh beef, cooked and cut up into pieces of about 
a pound each. As we passed, two large negroes 
handed each man a cake and a piece of meat. I re- 
ceived a share the same as the cavalry. 

I continued on in company with the cavalry until 
about the middle of the afternoon, when I concluded 
I had gone far enough on that road. I then dashed 



SCOUT AND SPY. 183 

on ahead of the cavalry to a piece of woodland, 
where 1 dismounted and sat down, as if to rest mv- 
self, and remained there until the cavalry had all 
passed on out of sight. I then mounted, and started 
across the country toward Water Yalley. A few 
minutes, travel brought me into a road that led direct 
to the place. 

When I arrived at the picket lines, the guards ar- 
rested me and took me to the colonel of the 3d 
Michigan Cavalry, who sent me to General Lee. I 
reported to him the three regiments of cavalry that 
I had accompanied out, and he immediately started 
in pursuit of them. I learned afterward that the 
chase was kept up to the Rocky Ford, on the Talla- 
hatchie River. On reporting to General Leggett, 
he expressed himself well pleased with the result of 
my trip, and requested me to make another to the 
same place, which I accordingly undertook to do. 

Early the next morning I was again on my way 
to Grenada, mounted on a mule, and disguised as 
before. At Water Yalley I found the 3d Michigan 
Cavalry still encamped, and called upon the Col- 
onel. I told him that I was going into Grenada, and 
that if he wanted a little fun, I would decoy out a 
regiment of rebel cavalry to a place within twelve 
miles of him, on the Pontotoc road, known as the Big 
Spring. The spring, from its distance from Grenada 
and the abundance of water that it afforded, and the 
excellent ground about it for camping purposes, made 
a fine natural place for troops passing out from Gre- 
nada to halt for the night. 



184 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

I told the Colonel that I would go into Grenada 
and see what cavalry was in there, and select the 
resfiment that I Avanted ; and then I would i>'o to 
Greneral Price and tell him that I knew of three 
companies of Lincoln cavalry, camped near the Pon- 
totoc road, a long distance from support, watching to 
pick up " our" couriers and small parties that hapi- 
pened to pass that way, and if he would let that regi- 
ment go, I would guide it so that it could surround 
the Lincdlnites and capture the last one of them. I 
also told the Colonel that he could take his regiment 
over to the place the next night, and then, early next 
morning, crawl close up to the rebels, and sud- 
denly rise up and pour in five volleys into them, in 
quick succession, from their five-shooting carbines 
(the regiment was armed with five-shooters), which 
would so surprise and terrif}^ them that they would 
break and run without stopping for guns, horses, or 
anything else, and that he would be able to capture 
the most of their arms and horses, and very many of 
the men. 

The Colonel seemed pleased with my proposals, 
and promised to have his regiment there in time. I 
had no doubts whatever about my ability to decoy a 
regiment out there, but I was not so sure that the 
Colonel had confidence enough in me to keep his 
promise. With the understanding, however, that I 
was to return the next day with a regiment of cavalry, 
I resumed my journe3^ 

I halted for the night a short distance out from 
Grenada, and early the next morning I started in. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 185 

At the bridge across the Yallabusha River, about 
half a mile from town, I came to the rebel pickets. 
They manifested some hesitation about passing me, 
and asked me various questions about where I lived 
and what I w^anted to go in for, etc. While they were 
questioning me, a regiment of cavalry made its ap- 
pearance, coming out. I did not press the pickets 
to pass me, but remained in conversation with them 
until the cavalry came out, and then fell in and went 
along with them. 

My prospects now seemed bright. The regiment 
coming out would answer my purpose, provided it 
went far enough, and had saved me the trouble of 
carrying out my strategy. I soon found out that it 
was a Texas regiment, and, like the three regiments 
I had accompanied on a former trip, they were on 
their way to report to General Van Dorn. Having 
found that out, I felt almost sure that they would halt 
for the night at the desired place. 

The sun was about an hour high when we arrived 
at the Big Spring, and my anxiety was considerably 
relieved by the regiment coming to a halt. Prepara- 
tions were made for the night — horses fed, supper 
prepared, and a picket thrown out on the road to 
Water Yallc}', but on no other. 

Long before daylight in the morning, the men were 
up feeding their horses and preparing breakfast for 
an early start. At the approach of daylight, the 
l)ickets were drawn in. My anxiety for the appear- 
ance of the Federal cavalry now becijme intense. 
Not a movement could I see that indicated their ap- 



18G THE GREAT AMERICAN 

proacli. Not a suspicion had yet been excited among 
my grayback companions. How I longed to hear the 
crack of those revolving carbines ! 

Breakfast was now ready, and all fell to work at it 
with a hearty relish. I took some in my hands, and 
seated myself near a large oak-tree, and began to 
eat, wondering whether the Colonel really would 
come. The moments seemed unusually long, and as 
I occasionally glanced my eyes toward the place where 
I had hoped the cavalry w^ould make its appearance, 
all was quiet. I had come to the conclusion that the 
Colonel had failed to fulfil his promise, when. Bang ! 
bang ! crash ! crash ! went the carbines in a perfect 
roar of musketry, and the air was filled with whiz- 
zing bullets. I instantly sprang behind the oak tree 
and stood there. So sudden had been the attack, 
that, although I had been looking for it, a volley was 
fired before I was aware of the approach of the regi- 
ment. The leaden messengers came in much greater 
profusion and closer proximity to my person than I 
ever want them again. But such a panic, such con- 
fusion, such running, such scrambling was never seen 
before ! It w^as beyond description. Some fled with- 
out horses or arms ; some cut the halters of their 
horses and mounted without arms or saddles — all 
were terribly frightened. 

Mj^self and sixty others were captured, and as 
many horses and twice as many saddles and arms, 
with their accoutrements. Eight men were killed, and 
several horses and quite a number of men were 



SCOUT AND SPY. 187 

wounded. The rebs fired but a very few scattering 
shots, and not a man of the Federals was injured. 

It was a brilliant success, but for a few minutes 
rather serious fun. The Colonel played his part with 
admirable ability. After the stores were gathered 
up, I was released, and we returned to camp. Dur- 
ing my absence, the brigade to which I belonged had 
advanced to Water Valley, at which place I found it. 



188 THE GREAT AMERICAN 



CHAPTER XYII. 

The forage party — Eunaways — Daring scout — Narrow escape — The line 
of battle — Safe return — Scout reports — Assumes the character of a rebel 
prisoner — Finds a friend — How he introduced himself — Where he be- 
longs — The burning of Holly Springs — The heroine — What she cap- 
tured — Shows partiality — Offers assistance — Eebel doctor executed. 

Whex the army fell back beliiud the Tallahatchie 
Eiver, General Leggett's brigade remained at Abbe- 
ville, as an advanced outpost of the army. It was while 
we were there on outpost duty, that the troops ex- 
perienced the inconvenience of short rations, caused 
by Greneral Yan Dorn's cavalry raid into Holly 
Springs. While the scarcity of rations prevailed, the 
troops were under the necessity of frequently send- 
ing out foraging expeditions to obtain assistance for 
both men and animals. 

On one occasion, an expedition was sent oiit to the 
east of Abbeville after forage. After it had been 
gone a short time, I took a notion that I would go ; 
so I mounted my mule and started out. Soon after 
passing the pickets, I overtook two men, who, I found, 
had run away from camp, and, by representing to the 
pickets that they belonged to the detail guarding the 
train, had succeeded in passing. They were going 
out on their " own hooks'' to forage a fat sheep. 

About a mile from the pickets, the road forked ; 
the left-hand road, or maia road, led straight ahead 



SCOUT AND SPY. 189 

to the east, and the right-hand road led to the south- 
east. The forage party had taken the left-hand road ; 
the runaways took the right-hand road, and I fol- 
lowed them out a piece to see what was going on. 
About a mile from the forks, both roads pass through 
a belt of timber-land, several hundred yards in 
width, and then emerge into an open space of coun- 
try, inclosed in fields. After passing through the 
timber, we halted and mounted the fence to look for 
the forage party on the other road. They had halted 
at a plantation-house, and were engaged in loading 
the train. While on the fence, the two runaways 
espied some fat sheep in the field near by us. The}' 
immcdiatel}' gave chase, and I remained on the fence 
to watch for the rebels. We had been discovered 
by the forage party while on the fence, and directly 
a man was seen dashing across the fields toward us, 
on horseback, to reconnoitre. In the brigade was 
a chaplain, not very brave, who sometimes under- 
took to perform the duties of a scout. As the man 
on horseback approached, it proved to be the chap- 
lain scout. The field, on the side where we were, 
was covered with tall weeds, as high as a man's head, 
and for that reason the runawaj's did not sec the 
chaplain until he was within two hundred yards of 
them. The boj's had not yet captured a sheep, but 
were trying to corner one, when they discovered 
him. 

"There comes our chaplain, as sure as guns!"' said 
one. "We must frighten him back, or we'll both be 
arrested for running away." 



190 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

" I'll stop liim," said the other, aiming his piece. 

" Snap!" went the cap, but the gun clid not go. 

" Are you going to shoot him?" said the first. 

" Yes," said the other. 

"Then I'll shoot," said the first. Bang went his 
gun. 

That was too much for the chaplain ; he wheeled 
his horse about, and went flying back. The chaplain 
did not see the boys, but saw me on the fence, 
dressed in rebel uniform, and my mule hitched to 
the fence. As soon as he got back and reported, 
the men not engaged in loading the train were 
formed in line of battle, ready to repel an expected 
attack. 

The runaways succeeded in capturing a fine, nice 
sheep, and carried it on their shoulders back to the 
forks in the road, to wait for the train. There I 
left them, and joined the forage party, which I found 
drawn up in line of battle. 

When the train w^as loaded and ready to return, 
flankers were thrown out on either side of the road, 
and in that way succeeded in reaching camp without 
the loss of a man. The runaways got into camp with 
their forage without being detected. 

I felt curious to know what sort of report the 
chaplain would make ; so, on my return to camp, I 
immediately repaired to headquarters and awaited 
his arrival. When he made his appearance, it was 
with a countenance indicating that something serious 
and impressive weighed upon his mind. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 191 

"Has the forage party come in, chaplain?'' said 
General Leggett, as he entered. 

" Yes, we made out to get back." 

" Well, what luck did you have ?" 

" We had a very narrow escape, indeed." 

"Why so?" 

"Well, I'll tell you; we halted about four miles 
out, to load the train, and, while thus engaged, some 
rebels were seen about a mile distant, across the 
field, on the fence, watching our movements. I was 
sent to reconnoitre and find out about them, and 
when I had got within a short distance of them, I 
saw a long line of them dismounted, behind the 
fence. Several of them snapped their pieces at me, 
and one went off, and the ball came whizzing by my 
head. I wheeled my horse and ran back as fast as I 
could go. I tell you, G eneral, it was a providential 
escape for me ! We then formed a line of battle, to 
repel any attack until the train was ready to start; 
then we threw out flankers on either side of the road, 
and in that way we marched in, without being at- 
tacked." 

The joke Avas a serious one, but, inasmuch as no- 
body w^as hurt, I concluded not to expose the 
roguery of the runaways, or the bravery of the 
chaplain. 

While the troops remained at Abbeville, being on 
short rations caused by the burning of Holly Springs, 
it became necessary for every soldier to be on tlie 
lookout everywhere for supplies, in which I felt a dis- 
position to act my part. For this purpose I left 



192 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

Abbeville on a road leading to the southwest. About 
nine miles out I came to a mill, where I entered and 
bought a peck of meal, and in conversation with the 
miller I learned that a company of guerrillas Avas in 
the habit of getting meal there, and were prowling 
about the neighborhood. Having but little respect 
for that class of citizens, I at once determined to 
capture them if possible. 

About eighty rods north of the mill was a hill, 
Vfith a thick growth of small pines at the base and 
tall oaks on the top, and a road running through this 
grove over the hill. From reading the Life of Wash- 
ington and Marion, I at once proposed a plan of 
strategy to capture the guerrillas. 

I went to General Logan and procured an order 
for sixty men, and laid them in ambush in a circle in 
this grove, on either side of the road, leaving the road 
clear. We built three big fires on the top of the hill, 
got logs and laid them promiscuously near the fires, 
and laid overcoats over them here and there, and 
hung up hats, and here and there a canteen on the 
bushes near by, that might be seen when any one ap- 
proached. 

I instructed my men not to fire unless there was an 
attempt made by the guerrillas to escape. Every- 
thing ready, I stationed myself and a captain at the 
grand entrance, out of sight of the enemy, and on 
either side of the road. 

Li a few minutes I heard the sound of footsteps 
(^oming up the hill, and soon I beheld the guerrillas 
with double-barrelled shot-guns cocked, and moving 



SCOUT AND SPY. i\)6 

as silent and stealthily as possible, peering in the dis- 
tance at the fires and their surroundings, evidently 
surmising that they had found a company of sleeping 
Federals. 

But we Averc not exactly asleep. I counted four- 
teen enter the circle in close proximity, and as I saw 
no more coming in the rear, I concluded this was the 
whole squad. I arose and stepped out, and demanded 
a surrender of the whole band. When I uttered this 
demand they all stretched up and look around. All 
was still as death around, save the ominous click of 
the cocking of about sixty rifles. When they heard 
this they said, Hold on, boys ! hold on ! we'll surren- 
der ! Well, said I, lay down your guns then on the 
ground and walk away. They did so, and the boys 
moved from their ambush to the centre, and enclosed 
our prisoners. Said I, Boys, how do you like the trap ? 
Have you men got horses ? They said no. Now, 
said I, you lie. You have got horses down around 
the mill, and you would like to have me go after them 
to get me in the same fix as you are in. Now, boys, 
said I, let us light out for camp. . 

We returned to camp by the way Ave came, and 
turned over the prisoners to the Provost-marshal. 
They were nothing more nor less than a band of guer- 
rillas, nevertheless they were })aroled and treated as 
regular soldiers, as they represented themselves to the 
Provost-marshal that they Avere regularly enlisted 
cavalrymen. 

* :•: :<: * * * * 

While the army was on its march from the Talla- 



194 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

hatcliie to Lagrange, I had an amusing little adven- 
ture with a secesh lady. It was on the day that 
General Leggett's brigade left Holly Springs. I was 
riding along behind my regiment, in company with 
Levi Hood, of the 20th Ohio, when I observed, to the 
left of the road, and about half a mile back, a large, 
;|i*, fme white house. I told Levi that, from the fine ap- 
pearance of things about the house, I presumed we 
could get feed there for our mules ; so w^e rode out to 
see. 

The house was built with a porch extending across 
its entire front. As we approached, we saw a Fed- 
eral guard standing on the porch, near the main en- 
trance to the house, and two Federal officers, one of 
them a captain and the other a major. The officers 
were engaged in conversation with a lady belong- 
ing to the house. We halted in front of the steps 
leading on to the porch, when Levi, addressing the 
lady, said : " Madam, have you got any corn or fod- 
der here ?" 

" Yes, I expect there is some out there," she re- 
plied, pointing to an outhouse ; " go out and get it. 
Take it all, if you can ; don't leave any. I shall be 
glad when it is gone ; then you won't bother me.'' 

We rode to the outhouse and procured what fod- 
der we wanted, and, having fed our mules in a yard 
in front of the house, we repaired to the porch, 
where the officers and lady were still engaged in con- 
versation. They were talking about the burning of 
Holly Springs, and as I came near, I heard the lady 
say: 



SCOUT AND SPY. 195 

" If Greneral Van Dorn and General Price can't 
thrash you out of Mississippi, they can starve you 
out, or get you out in some way ; you are going out, 
anyhow." 

" Yes," said I, " that's one of General Van Dorn's 
capers ; he is just tlie man to do such tricks a.s 
that." 

The officers left soon after I came up, and the lady 
turned her conversation to me. 

" Do you know General Van Dorn ?" 

"Yes, I know all of our Generals; and I know 
you, too." 

" AVhere did you ever see me ?" 

" Ain't you the lady who sent Colonel Slcmmens 
the bouquet last summer, when he was on outpost duty, 
with his regiment, at Cold Water ?" 

" Why, yes, I believe I was ; where was you ?" 

*' I was sent from Lumpkins' Mills, by General 
Villipique to Colonel Slcmmens, with orders." 

" Where do you belong ?" 

"I belong to the 17th Mississippi Zouaves, the 
pride of the Confederacy." 

"Who is the Colonel?" 

" Colonel Ilanner." 

" Yes, yes ! that's a fact ! I thought that you 
was fooling me, at first, but I don't think you are 
now. How in the world did you come to be up 
here ?" 

" I w^as captured near Grenada." 

" You was ? That's too bad ! Oh, tell me, have 
you received your new guns yet ?" 



19G THE GREAT AMERICAN 

" Yes ; we received them on the 18th day of last 
August." 

" They were so long coming, that I was afraid they 
never would get through the Federal lines. How do 
you like them ?" 

" Very much, indeed. They are Colt's six-shoot- 
ers, and are a most excellent gun." 

' ' Well, I am glad of it ; they ought to be a good 
gun, for they cost the Confederacy $G0 apiece. You 
are really a prisoner, then, are you ?" 

"Yes." . ' . 

" Well, come into the house." 

" I would if I could; but that man is my guard, 
and I don't think he'll let me." 

"Oh, no!" said Levi, "I can't; I am instructed 
not to let him go into any houses nor out of my 
sight." 

" Well, you can see him at the end of the porch ; 
let him go there. He won't run away. Come this 
way, soldier." She led the way and I followed. 

"Now," said she, speaking low, " do tell me how 
the Yankees like the burning of Holly Springs ?" 

" Well, as near as I can find out, they hate it like 
blazes, and it makes some of them real heartsick." 

" Good ! I am glad of it ! I am getting back pay 
for my trouble now !" 

" Did you help take the place ?" 

' ' No, I did not help to take it, but I was chief of 
the signal corps, and signalled the town all night. I 
had nearly all the ladies of the town out, and had 
them watching the movements of the Yankees. We 



SCOUT AND SPY. 197 

sent up rockets every hour all niglit. I tell you, I 
felt so much relieved at the approach of General Van 
Dorn, and when he captured the Yankees I was per- 
fectly delighted ! Then I just went for things ! I had 
four mules and a yoke of steers and a cart in there, 
and I just loaded them down with stuff! I got a hun- 
dred overcoats, and lots of pants and blankets, and 
nice canvased hams and other things, until I had the 
garret of my house stowed full." 

'' Did you do all that alone ?" 

"Oh, no! my husband. Captain McKisic, was 
there — he is captain of company A, of Bragg's 1st 
Battalion — and my servants w^ere there, and they 
all helped. Oh, I really do w^isli that you could 
come into the house !'' 

" There is no use talking about that, for the guard 
won't let me." 

"Well, I'll tell you," said she (casting her eyes 
at the man who was guarding her house, and speak- 
ing still lower); "I was suspicious that some of the 
Yankee soldiers might ransack my house and find 
out what stuff I had got, and so I went over to the 
colonel of the 23d Illinois Regiment and sung him a 
few songs of love, and he sent me over a guard, to 
keep the soldiers from going into ni}^ house." 

"You are all right, then, if you keep things to 
yourself." 

" I can do that, I assure you ; I have run with the 
army almost two years, and I have learned how to 
do that." 

" Come, prisoner," said Levi, manifesting impa- 



198 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

tience , "a'n't you getting about through with your 
conversation?'' 

"Wait ! wait a minute, if you please, guard,'' said 
the lady, and away she went into the house. She 
soon returned with a lot of apples, and commenced 
to stuff them into my pockets. "There, you eat 
them yourself. Give the guard these three little 
ones ; don't give him any more ; eat those nice ones 
yourself. But, pray tell me, what is your situation 
for money ?'' 

" I have got about five dollars.'- 

" Is that all ? Really, that a'n't enough ! Sha'n't 
I help you to some ? I am sure that you can't get 
along with that ?'' 

" No, I thank you ; I can get along in some way." 

" Do let me help you ; I have got three thousand 
dollars in the house, and I'd just as leave help you 
as not. Do take some." 

"No; I won't take any. I might never return 
this way to repay it." 

' ' I should think that you might get away. Why 
don't you get paroled, or run away from that 
guard ?" 

' ' I might, but, on account of a plan that I have 
got, I don't want to get away yet." 

"Why, what is it?" 

"Well, I'll tell you. I want to go with Grant's 
army to Lagrange, and see which way it goes from 
there, and then I'll come back and report it." 

"That's a good idea, certainly; get all the infor- 
mation that you can." 



SCOUT AND SPY. 199 

" Prisoner !" called Levi, getting more impatient, 
" the mules are done eating and we must go !" 

I then bade Mrs. McKisic good-bye, and we re- 
sumed our march. • On my return to the regiment, 
I related the incident to the Colonel, and he replied : 
" If the women are a mind to take advantage of the 
disgraceful surrender of Holly Springs, I don't know 
as I have any objection." 



20O THE GREAT AMERICAN 



CHAPTER XYIII. 

Anival in ^Memphis — Daring robbery — Detailed byllie Provost-marshal 
(ieneral — Assumes the character of a rebel major — Scccsh acquaintances 
— Captures a rebel mail — A jollification — A rebel trader — Plan to rua 
the piclvcts — Escape of the outlaws. 

On the 22dday of Januarj^, 1863, Greneral Logan's 
division arrived in Memphis, Tenn., preparatory to 
moving down the Missisippi, to join in the campaign 
against Yicksburg. While there, as I was passing 
through the city, accompained by William Goodhart, 
of the 20th Ohio, I saw a splendid carriage approach- 
ing, drawn by a fine pair of black horses, with silver- 
plated harness. In it were Captain Daniels and the 
quartermaster that had captured me and taken me 
to Cold Water to be paroled. 

As the carriage came up, w^e sprang into the street 
toward it, to capture the inmates. Recognizing me, 
they sprang ont.at the opposite side, and ran in dif- 
ferent directions, and as we were unarmed they made 
their escape. Supposing that the carriage and horses 
belonged to them, we unfastened them, mounted 
them, and started for camp, leaving the carriage 
standing in the street. I feared, as we were without 
passes, that some officer of some other command might 
take the whole rig from us. I cared nothing about 
the carriage, but wished to secure the horses for the 



SCOUT AND SPY. 201 

Government. We reported, with the horses, to 
division headquarters, and thence was ordered to 
brigade headquarters. At brigade headquarters we 
were ordered to turn them over to the quartermaster 
of our own regiment, which wx did. 

After this, with nothing to do about Memphis but idk; 
my time away in camp, I began to get restless and un- 
easy, and was about contriving some way to get out- 
side of the lines to work, when I received word that 
General Logan wanted to see me. I immediately 
reported to him, and was handed a sealed envelope 
and ordered to report with it to Colonel Hillycr, 
Provost-marshal General on General Grant's staff. 
I carried the communication to the colonel, as di- 
rected, and, when he read it, he immediately sat 
down and wrote me an order, of which the following 
is a copy : 

" Headqitarteks Department of the Tennessee, J 
" Office op the Provost-marshal General, ,'- 
" Memphis, Tenn., February 6, 1863. ) 
" The bearer, Loraine Rnggles, is in scout service of the Government. 
He will be passed through all lines, at all hours. He will be furnished 
with whatever assistance he may require. 

" He has authority to make arrests, reporting the same to the nearest 
military commander or Pi'ovost-marshal. 

" All officers and soldiers of this command will, in every way, facilitate' 
his operations. 

"By command of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

" William Hillyer, 

" Provost-marshal General.'" 

Handing me the order and some money, the Gen- 
eral told me to procure a place to board, and then 
commence operations. He requested me to report 

9* 



202 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

every two or three days the result of my labors, and 
to do my reporting, when practicable, at night. 

I selected a boarding-house on Adams-street, kept 
by a Mrs. Williams. There I represented myself as 
a major in the rebel army. My former residence in 
the city, at intervals of time, gave me an acquaint- 
ance that enabled me readily to carry out the char- 
acter of a rebel officer, without exciting any suspicion 
to the contrary. 

Having established myself in my boarding-house, 
I proceeded to drum up the acquaintance of such 
persons as I had reason to believe were of suspicious 
loyalty. 

My first acquaintance of that sort was a Captain 
Wells, who formerly commanded an independent 
company in Yicksburg, Miss., but who had resigned 
his commission in the Confederate army and estab- 
lished himself in business in Memphis. He w^as at 
that time a "Union man," with the oath of alle- 
giance in his pocket, but engaged in buying horses of 
Federal soldiers, and smuggling them through the 
Federal lines. 

My acquaintance Avitli him soon led to an acquaint- 
ance with others, variously engaged — some as guer- 
rillas, some horse-stealers, some smugglers, some as 
mail-carriers, and others in various disloj'al capaci- 
ties. They all knew me by my assumed rank, and 
always addressed me as Major Ruggles. 

On one occasion, while looking about the city, one 
of my disloyal acquaintances informed me that there 
was a large mail in town from Missouri, to go to Gen- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 203 

eral Price's army ; and, said he, "Major, I thought 
that, perhaps, you would be going down that way 
soon, and if you are, why not take it with you ? I 
presume it is a mail of considerable importance, and 
undoubtedly Greneral Price would compensate you 
well for it." 

" Perhaps I will take it down," I replied. " But I 
must make some arrangements with my affairs at 
home before I go, and I will let you know in the 
morning." 

" Very well. Come up in the morning." 

I then went and told the Provost-marshal General 
what I had learned. He told me to keep watch, and 
when it started out to capture it. 

The next day I went to see about carrying it out 
myself, and was told that a man had already made 
arrangements to carry it, and that it was packed up, 
ready to go. While talking about the mail, another 
of my new acquaintances came up, and I invited the 
two to walk over to the Italian saloon with me and 
take something to drink. 

" You go with me," said the new-comer, " over ta 
the saloon where I get my drinks." 

"Very well," said I, and we all went over. 

In front of the saloon was hitched a horse and 
buggy. In the saloon, besides the proprietor, was a 
very gentlemanly-looking man, who, soon after we 
entered, asked the proprietor if he had any w^ord that 
he wanted to send to Hernando. The man said he- 
was going down that way, and if he had anything to- 
send he would take it. 

8 



204 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

As lie had nothing to send, the gentleman, without 
making any further business, went out. The thought 
now occurred to me that the mail was in the buggy 
at the door, and the man that went out was the mail- 
carrier. I excused myself from my companions, as 
soon as I could, and started out to watch the suspected 
gentleman. When I went out he had unhitched and 
started down the street. I followed along, through 
one street after another, until the buggy stopped at a 
provision-store. There the gentleman purchased a 
demijohn of something, and a side of bacon. I saw 
him place them in the buggy, and then return to the 
provision -store. 

I then went to Captain Taylor, who had charge of 
the government horses in the city, whom I found sit- 
ting on his horse at his stables. I told him that a 
rebel mail was going out through the lines, and that I 
wanted his horse long enough to ride out to the pick- 
et line, on the Hernando road, and stop it. He lent 
me his horse, and I soon found myself at the picket 
line. 

I found a lieutenant in command of the pickets. I 
told him that there would be a rebel mail attempt to 
pass his lines, and that it would be in a one-horse bug- 
gy, driven by a very gentlemanly-looking man, and that 
the buggy that contained the mail would contain a 
demijohn and a side of bacon. I told him to be 
thorough, and search the man's person and his buggy, 
and the cushions, and everything else about the 
buggy, and to do it in such a way as not to lead the 
man to suspect that any information had been given 



SCOUT AND SPY. 205 

him. I then took another road and returned to the 
city. 

I had not been gone more than an hour, when the 
man described drove up to the pickets, halted, and 
handed out his pass for examination. The lieutenant 
having examined it, told him that he presumed he was 
all right, but attempts had been made to carry contra- 
band articles through the lines, and his instructions 
were such that he was under the necessity of making 
a thorough search before passing him. The man as- 
sured the lieutenant that he had no objections to 
being searched, and that nothing could be found 
about himself or buggy not mentioned in the pass. 

The man's person was searched, and then the bug- 
gy, and finally the cushions of the buggy were exam- 
ined, and in them, neatly quilted in, was found the 
mail. It is needless to add that the gentlemanly per- 
sonage was furnished accommodations in the Irving 
Block, and the mail was turned over to the Provost- 
marshal General. I never learned what became of 
the man or his mail. 

A few days after the arrest of the rebel mail-car- 
rier, I invited several of my new acquaintances down 
to my boarding-house, to have a little jollification. 
They all accepted the invitation, and, at the ap- 
pointed time, made their appearance. 

Among these was a man engaged in furnishing 
contraband goods for the rebel ami}', such as medi- 
cines, surgical instruments, silk thread for sewing 
wounds, ladies' silk hose, &c., &c. 

He came into the Provost-marshal General's office, 



206 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

and got a permit to buy a barrel of molasses. He 
procured a molasses barrel and inserted a tin tube 
nicely into the bung, down to the other side of the 
barrel, and packed every other part of the barrel full 
of goods to the amount of $2,000, and filling the tube 
with molasses, brought it to the Provost-marshal's of- 
fice for inspection. I had watched his movements, 
and was in the office of the Provost-marshal Greneral 
when he came up to the Provost-marshal's office, 
which was directly opposite. I told the Provost- 
marshal General to watch the movements. Said he, 
" I gave that man a permit to buy a barrel of molas- 
ses, and he has brought it for inspection." Said I, 
"That ain't molasses." He said it was. Said I, 
"You are a commanding officer, and I have no right 
to dispute you ; but if you let that barrel go out with- 
out inspection, I will report you to General Grant." 
" Well," said he, " to please you I will let the guards 
stop him, and Avill examine it myself," and he found 
as I had reported, but little molasses and a large 
amount of other goods, which were turned over to 
the Government, and the man turned over to the Ir- 
ving Block for safe-keeping. 

When I went to Mrs. Williams' to board, I took 
with me a yellow boy that had been in my employ 
nearly a year. I had trained him so that he under- 
stood me perfectly, and, being naturally of a smart, 
ready turn of mind, and quick to comprehend my 
meaning, was of great assistance, when I was visited 
by rebel friends, in helping me to carry out my as- 
sumed character. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 207 

On this occasion, ho represented to perfection the 
character of a negro waiter. I called him " Spence." 
Whenever his name was called, he would promptly 
enter the room, with his hat under his arm, and ap- 
proach me with as much manifestation of profound 
respect as if I had been a king, receive my orders 
with marked attention, and execute them with won- 
derful agility, and then immediately retire from the 
room. 

From my rank, my companions seemed to regard 
me as possessing peculiar advantages over them, and 
all seemed desirous to secure my advice and my per- 
sonal assistance in their individual projects. By 
that means I was enabled to find out ver}^ much 
that was going on, that I otherwise would not have 
done. 

^Vmong my guests of that evening was a man that 
had been in the Confederate army, and had been se- 
verel}^ wounded in the shoulder in the battle at Fort 
Bonelson. On account of his wound he had been dis- 
charged. As a sort of compensation to enable him to 
make a living, for which his disability had seriously 
disqualified him, General Price had given him a paper 
authorizing him to trade and sell goods in the Con- 
federate army. 

After showing me his paper, signed by General 
Price, "Now," said he, "major, you can render me 
some assistance, if you feel disposed, that will l)e of 
great help to me in my circumstances." 

•'Indeed! I should be very happy to do so ; but 
vou must remember that I am under bonds to the 



208 THE GREAT AMEIUCAN 

Federal autlioi'ities, and I have to be very careful 
what I do ; if I am caught in any scrape, they will 
surely hang me."' 

"I am well aware of that, Major, but I think you 
can do it without subjecting yourself to any great 
danger." 

" Well, what is it that you want I should do?'' 

"I'll tell you. I have been engaged, for some 
time, in purchasing, in small quantities at a time, 
various articles of goods, to take through the Federal 
lines to sell, and I have now got about four hundred 
dollars' worth. The military authorities are begin- 
ning to suspicion me, and I have got to move the 
goods to some place for safe-keeping. Your board- 
ing-rooms are not very public, and you could keep 
the goods here without exciting suspicion." 

"I expect that I might. I have done more 
hazardous jobs than that since I have been in the 
Confederate service. I think I can manage it. You 
may get the goods ready, and then let me know it, 
and I will send my servant after them." 

" Thank you, Major ! You are just the man to do 
it. I will get them read}'' in the morning." 

M}^ friend Captain Wells also had a little scheme 
in view, which he related to me, as follows : 

" I have got six line horses, that I have purchased 
of Federal cavalrymen, and I want to manage some 
way to get them through the Yankee lines. Now, 
Major, what plan do you propose to get them 
through ?" 

"Well, really, Captain, I hardly know what course 



SCOUT AND SPY. 209 

would be advisable. The ' Yankees' are getting to 
be mighty strict in their picket duties. A sudden 
dash upon the pickets, some dark night, by as many 
plucky riders as you have horses, might take them 
through." 

"That's my mind exactly, Major! and 1 was 
thinking if I could get some military man of expe- 
rience, like yourself, to lead us, the plan might be 
executed to a charm ! What do you say ? will you 
lead us?" 

"Well, Captain, the undertaking is a bold one, 
but I think I am good for it ; at any rate, I will try." 

"Good! good! Major, here's your health!" and 
they all drank heartily. 

Late at night, the festival broke up, with an agree- 
ment to meet at frequent intervals, as opportunity 
oflfered. 

The next day the contraband goods were brought 
over to my rooms and secreted. 

I will here relate a little incident concerniug my 
servant Spence, to show how well I succeeded in 
making my secesh acquaintances believe that I was 
a Southerner and a slave-owner. I was in the habit 
of finding fault with him, and would reprimand him 
severely for the slightest neglect, and sometimes 
imaginary ones, were sufficient to call forth from me 
the severest rebuke. 

A few mornings after the night of our festival, 
several of my secesh friends called on me to ride out 
in the city. I ordered Spence to bring out my horse. 
When he made his appearance at the front of the 



210 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

house, I went out to see that everything was in 
proper order, and at once flew into a terrible pas- 
sion Avith him, on the pretence that the horse was 
not properly cleaned. Spence, as if mistrusting 
something was up, was about to leave. 

"Here, you black rascal!" said I; "why didn't 
you clean that horse's legs ? Ha'n't I taught you 
better than that? Come here, you black lazy calf, 
till I thrash you ! What ! lived with me all 5'our 
life, and don't know how to clean a horse ! Ha'n't I 
thrashed you time and again for that? Come here, 
I say! I'll fix you!" 

Spence, as if apprehending a booting, manifested a 
wonderful fear of me, and no inclination to approach 
nearer, and, as I approached him, he involuntarily 
drew back. I attempted to catch him, and he ran 
away from me into the back yard, and I after him. 
"Stop ! stop ! you black scoundrel you ! Stop ! or I'll 
shoot you!" I shouted. 

Mrs. Williams and my companions ran to the back 
door to see what I was doing. As they came out, I 
fired my revolver. Spence stopped, and, facing me, 
implored, "Oh, Lord! Massa Ruggles, don't shoot 
d is nigger! don't shoot again, for de Lord's sake! 
don't shoot! I'll done clean de hoss all off clean dc 
nex' time ! I will, I will, for sure, Massa Ruggles !" 

"Don't shoot him, Major!" implored Mrs. Wil- 
liams. 

"Don't shoot him. Major ! for God's sake, don't. 
For you will get into trouble with the Yankees if 
vou do." 



SCOUT AND SPY. 211 

"Well, I won't slioot him this time, but tlie next 
time lie won't get off so easy. Do you understand 
that, you black rascal ?" 

"Yes, Massa Ruggles ! I 'spects dat I was care- 
less. I'll dun clean him good now !" and away he 
went to clean the horse. 

A few nights after the above occurrence, another 
jollification was held at my rooms. Before sepa- 
rating, it was agreed that eight of us, including myself 
and Spence, should take the contraband horses and 
goods, and, on a night agreed upon, if everything was 
favorable, make a dash through the lines. 

The time agreed upon came, and with it my rebel 
acquaintances, prepared for the dash. I was not 
ready, and apologized by saying that the weather 
had been so bad for a day or two that I didn't 
think they would be along that night. I told them 
that I had left my saddle at a harness-shop to be 
repaired, but if they would wait until I could go and 
get it I would accompany them. To this they agreed. 
Taking Spence with me, I started for the saddle. 

I procured one, to prevent suspicion, and, carry- 
ing it with me, I went to the officer of the provost- 
guards. I told him what was going on, and then 
showed him my order from Colonel Hillyer, and told 
him that I wanted six men. My plan was to place 
them where they could throw themselves suddenly 
across a street that we would have to pass, as we 
came up, and halt us, and to fire into every man 
that did not halt. Spence and m^^self would, of 
course, halt and be captured. The Captain would 



212 THE GREAT AMERICAN" 

not give me any men unless I would take a whole 
company. I remonstrated. I knew that six men 
would not be suspected of anything more than an 
ordinary patrol guard, if seen on their way to the 
place designated, and it would be impossible to get 
so many men into position without their being seen. 
The Captain would not yield, and I started with a 
full company, under command of a Lieutenant. 
After we had started, the Captain halted us, and 
charged the Lieutenant not to divide the company 
into squads, but to keep his men compact in a body. 
That completely spoiled my plans, but I had no other 
alternative. 

Before we got within three hundred yards of the 
outlaAvs, they discovered the force coming and mis- 
trusted their object. They raised a yell of defiance, 
and, swinging their hats with whoops and hurrahs, 
dashed out of sight before the company could be got 
into line. They succeeded in dashing through the 
lines, and I have never heard of them since. 

The contraband goods, however, remained in my 
possession, and I turned them over to the Provost- 
marshal. 

I was heartily vexed with the failure, and dis- 
gusted with the detective service, and resolved that 
I would never have anything more to do with it. 
How well I kept my resolution the sequel will 
show. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 213 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Reports to Major-Geueral McPlierson — Instructions — Disguise — Starts for 
Vicksburg — Changes his route — Reports to General Denver — Acquaint- 
ance witli a cotton-buyer — Plan to make money — Visit to guerrilla Sol. 
Street — The arrangement consummated — Visit to General Price — Arri- 
val at Jackson — Robbed of his field-glasses — Introduction to President 
Davis — Visit to Vicksburg— Visit to Edwards' Station — Meets his bear- 
hunting comrades — Visits Black River Bridge — Robbed of his horse — 
The return — Reports to General McPherson — Reports to General Grant. 

Having fully determined to do no more detective 
service, I went to Colonel Hillyer, of General Grant's 
staff, and told him that I was desirous of making a 
trip to Jackson, Mississippi, and also to Yicksburg, 
and that General Ross had frequently promised me 
an opportunity of doing so. The Colonel said that 
he was not only willing but desirous that I should 
do so. He accordingly released me from the detec- 
tive service, and I reported to General McPherson. 
On reporting back to the Colonel, he gave me a writ- 
ten order, and on that authority General McPherson 
at once gave me his instructions, and furnished me 
with funds to supply myself with an outfit. I also re- 
ceived from Colonel Hillyer a large roll of Confed- 
erate money, with which to bear my expenses. 

My instructions were to go down on the Hernando 
road from Memphis to Grenada, and see how many 
troops were there, and whether the enemy was forti- 
fying at that place, and whether appearances indicated 



214 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

a determination to remain there long. I was then 
to go on to Jackson, Miss., and see how many troops 
were there, and ascertain, if I could, from a reliable 
source, Avhether the rebs were still operating the Con- 
federate States armory at Columbus, Miss., or had re- 
moved it, as had been reported, to the State of Ala 
bama. Then I was to go on to Clinton, Miss., and 
see how many troops were there ; and then to Ed- 
wards' Station, and see what number were there ; and 
then to Black River Bridge, and see its defences, and 
gather all the information that I could concerning 
them, and find out, if possible, how many forces were 
at Haines' and Snyder's Bluffs ; and then return to 
Memphis, and if General McPherson was not there, 
to follow down the Mississippi River until I found 
him. 

When he had finished his instructions, I said to 
him, " General, I am confident that I can get to Jack- 
son, Miss., easy enough ; but what excuse can I make 
or business can I pretend to have that will call me to 
Black River Bridge ? Why not instruct me to go on 
to Yicksburg, and then there can be no suspicion on 
my visit to the bridge." 

He replied, "Ruggles, the Government has sent 
six men into Yicksburg already, and none of them 
liave returned ; it's of no use to send out men unless 
they return. Act your pleasure about it, but go no 
furtlier than you can go and get back." 

I felt uneasy about trying to go to Black River 
Bridge witliout going to Yicksburg, and I did not like 
to assume the responsibility without saying something 



SCOUT AND SPY. 215 

about it, for four that I might fail to get back. I de- 
cided to go in only on condition that circumstances 
favored a certainty of return. 

The disguise that I chose was that of a well-to-do 
Southern planter, accompanied by a servant — myself 
on horseback and my servant mounted upon a mule. 
Spence went with me as servant. We were both of 
us richly dressed. I carried on my shoulders a pair 
of field-glasses, and had in my possession a splendid 
gold watch, which was furnished me as a part of my 
outfit, and afterward given to me by General Grant. 
My hair, at that time, was very long, hanging down 
upon my shoulders. I wore a very broad-brimmed 
black hat. 

Everything being ready, I started out on the road 
leading to Hernando on the morning of the 24th day 
of February, 18G3. Passing a farm-house, a little 
boy, of about two and a half years, came out of the 
gate and says, "Mister, thar's Yankees down thar, 
and you'd better look out or they'll get you." Rather 
a young counsellor thought I, but we moved on. 

When we were fairly outside of the Federal lines, 
Spence began to reflect on what the consequences 
would be if I were found out to be a spy. After 
riding several miles without saying a word, and ap- 
pearing to be more than usually serious, he said : 
" Mr. Bunker, a'n't you gwine right down in among 
de rebils ?" 

"Yes; why?" 

"If do secesh dun git us, won't dey hang us 
both ?" 



216 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

" You keep that to yourself; if you don't they will 
certainly hang us both. Eemember Avhat I say ; all 
you have to do is to obey me promptly at all times. 
You must be my nigger — raised with me, and just a 
day and a half older than I am. Do you understand 
me ?" 

"I spects dat I do." 

" No matter," I continued, " how much I scold or 
boot you, you must carry out the character of a tip- 
top genteel nigger waiter ; and you must make every- 
body think that j^ou have got the best master in the 
world. Can you do it ?" 

" I spects dat I can." 

Spence was too deeply impressed with the reality 
of the situation to say much ; but, however much he 
feared the consequences of a discovery, he acted well 
the part assigned him, and that, too, knowing the 
certain fate awaiting him if my real character should 
be found out. 

At the time that I started, the weather had been 
rainy for some time, and the ground had become 
completely saturated with water, the roads muddy, 
and the streams very high. I had gone but about 
twenty miles, when I found that the bridges across the 
streams had all been destroyed, either by the enemy 
or swept off by the water, and that they were too 
high for me to ford them. 

I then turned to go back to Memphis, but I found 
that a squad of guerrillas had got between me and 
the city. Not wishing to encounter them, I made my 
way across to Lafayette, a town on the Memphis and 



SCOUT AND SPY. 217 

Charleston Railroad. At that place I found General 
Lee. I called on hira, and requested him to inform 
General McPherson that on account of the high 
water, I was unable to get through on the Hernando 
road. From Lafayette I went to Lagrange, at which 
place I found General Denver. I requested of him 
a pass to go through his lines. He inquired who I 
was. I told him, and to convince him, showed him 
the order Colonel Hilly er gave me to scout in Mem- 
phis ; but, for some reason best known to himself, he 
took the order away from me. It was raining at the 
time I asked for the pass, and I requested to have it 
dated for the next day. The Adjutant remarked that 
if I had it dated a day ahead it would afford me a 
fine opportunity to see how many forces they had be- 
fore I went out. A pass was granted me, however, 
to go out, but not to return, and I remained at La- 
grange until the next day. I think that General 
Denver doubted ni}- being a Federal scout. Not ex- 
pecting to pass any Federal lines, except when I left 
Memphis, I had no pass proper for the occasion, and 
showed the order that I had, for want of something 
better. 

I put up at a house of entertainment kept by a 
Mr. Lee, where I met with a cotton buj-er by the 
name of Hall, who was boarding at the same place. 
In the course of our conversation something was said 
about a noted guerrilla by the name of Solomon G. 
Street. I remarked, " I don't see how it comes that 
Sol. Street has managed to make himself so noted ; he 
is a man that very little was said about before the war." 

lO 



218 THE GREAT AMERICAN" 

"Do you know Sol. Street?" said the cotton- 
buyer. 

*' Yes, I have known him for ten or twelve years. 
I knew him Avhen he lived in Memphis, and then 
afterward when he lived on Island 40, and then again 
when he moved up to the foot of Island 37." 

" Now, see here," said Hall ; " you want to make 
money and I want to make mone}^, and now is the 
time to do it. If you are acquainted with Sol. Street 
you can arrange the matter so as to make a hand- 
some thing of it for both of us." 

"How so?" 

" Well, I will tell you. Sol. Street has got about 
eighty guerrillas stationed back in the country a few 
miles, and in their rear there is a large amount of 
cotton. I have seen it, and it is worth eighty cents a 
pound. He likes monc}^ as Avell as either of us. 
Now, if 3^ou will see him, and get him to give you 
a writing that he will withdraw his men for ten days, 
and let Government teams in there, without molest- 
ing them, to haul the cotton away, I will give Sol. 
one-half the proceeds of the cotton at eighty cents a 
pound, and I will give you $5,000 of my share, and 
you shall see the cotton weighed and carry Sol.'s 
money to him." 

"That would really be a nice little spec, wouldn't 
it?" 

" Yes ; and now is the time to strike." 

" Well, I am going down into the Confederacy to 
be gone several days, perhaps two weeks, and I will 

i 



SCOUT AND SPY. 219 

try and see Sol. Street and find out what he will do 
about itf and will let you know on my return." 

"Well, do. I am sure that you can't make five 
thousand dollars easier." 

In the morning I resumed my journey, and had 
proceeded as far as Waterford, when I accidentally 
come across Sol. Street. He immediately recog- 
nized me as an old acquaintance. After convers- 
ing awhile, I said to him, "Sol., you like to make 
money and so do I, and it don't matter much how 
we make it, either. I know of a chance for both of 
us to make something." 

"Well, what is it?" 

"There is a large lot of cotton in your rear, and 
there is a Yankee cotton-buyer, that has seen the 
cotton,' who says it is worth eighty cents a pound, 
and that if you will agree to withdraw your men for 
ten dajs, and allow him, unmolested, to haul the cot- 
ton out with Federal teams, he will sell the cotton 
and pay over to me one-half of the proceeds of the 
cotton for you, and will give me five thousand dol- 
lars. What do you think of that, Sol ?" 

" Will you be responsible to me for my share ?" 

I said I would be responsible for what I had to do 
myself, but not for what others are to do. But if the 
man does not pay the one-half for the cotton, I will 
decoy him out and we will dispatch him, and take 
the whole of it. 

" I am bound to make money out of this war, and 
I don't care how I do it." 



220 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

"That's the understanding then, is it?" 

" Yes, and when you get ready to have the cotton 
out, let me know it, and I'll withdraw the men." 

However well I had completed the arrangements, 
I had no intention of participating in a traffic of that 
kind on my own responsibility. I relate it merely 
that the reader may see one of the internal phases 
of this monstrous rebellion. Others have made 
money in that way. 

The journey from Waterford to G renada was a 
painfully lonesome one. Not a human being, save a 
few citizens at Oxford, were seen to enliven the 
solitude that prevailed. Scarcely a living being was 
to be seen, save perhaps, now and then, a poor, old 
blind and crippled mule or horse, in the last stages 
(5f starvation. Even the feathered songsters of the 
forest seemed to realize the utter desolation that 
prevailed, and lent, by their silence and seclusion, to 
that inexpressible gloom. Scarcely a fence or plan- 
tation-house remained to mark the place wdiere peace 
and prosperity had once existed. Huge chimney- 
stacks pointed out where the consuming elements had 
been, and stood as monuments of retribution that was 
being meted out to those whose folly had led them to 
participate in their own fearful destruction. I invol- 
untarily exclaimed, "Surely, the way of the trans- 
gressor is hard !" 

On my arrival at the rebel lines, near Grenada, 
I experienced no difficulty in passing, and, with- 
out having met with any obstacles after leaving the 
Federal lines, I was once more a sojourner in Grrenada. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 221 

There I found the place garrisoned by a small body of 
troops, composed of infantry, cavalry, and artillery, 
and considerably improved in appearance since my 
last visit to the place. 

I repaired at once to General Price's headquarters, 
and there I found Gi-eneral Wheeler, whom I have 
mentioned as having met me before in the rebel army, 
at General Yan Dorn's headquarters. I asked Gen- 
eral Price for a pass to visit Jackson, and for the 
privilege of leaving my horse and mule with his 
headquarter horses until my return, which was 
granted. While there, I found out that General 
Wheeler had just received a permit to visit Jack- 
son, so I proposed to accompany him, to which he 
assented, and we both took the cars together. 

At the depot I met with on old acquaintance from 
Arkansas, from whom I learned that three of my 
old bear-hunting comrades, by the names of Samuel 
Teel, Henry Thomas, and Lemuel Mcintosh, were in 
the 10th Arkansas Infantry, and that the regiment was 
at Edwards' Station, four miles from Black River. I 
knew that Teel had been a regular canebrake rano'cr, 
and I concluded that, if I could find him, I could con- 
trive some way to get safely to Black River bridge. 

On our way down, General Wheeler told me 
that President Davis was to be at Jackson, and that 
his business down there was to see the President. 
The idea of seeing Jeff. Davis pleased me. I told 
the general that I was glad to hear that the presi- 
dent was to be there, for I had never been so fortu- 
nate as to have met him, and that I should be very 



222 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

happy to make his acquaintance. He promised that 
if an opportunity occurred, he would give me an in- 
troduction. 

On our arrival at Jackson, we repaired at once to 
the Confederate House, registered our names, and 
procured rooms. Before I had been shown to ray 
room, a general (I had learned afterward) from South 
Carolina, stepped up to m6, and, taking my field- 
glasses from ni}^ shoulders and placing them upon 
his own, said : " Citizens have no use for such things, 
and generals have." 

"Take them, general ; take them along, sir! I am 
willing to do anything for our Government. 

I knew that it would do no good to object, but I 
should have been better pleased if he had as much 
as thanked me for them, but, instead, 'he walked off' 
with as much dignity as if "Monarch of all he sur- 
veyed." 

Shortly after our arrival, I entered the sitting- 
room, in company with Grcneral Wheeler, where we 
found President Davis and his attendants, and Lieu- 
tenant-General Joseph Johnston. Among the attend- 
ants were several generals, whose names I did not 
learn ; one of them, however, had my field-glasses. 
General Wheeler approached the President and in- 
troduced himself, and then introduced me as a brother 
of General Euggles. He also introduced me, in the 
same way, to General Johnston. 

I remained at the Confederate House four days, at 
an expense of thirteen dollars per day for myself 
and servant. During our stay, Spence came in for 



SCOUT AND SPY. 223 

his share of notoriety. He was remarkably attentive 
to my wants and scrupulonsly exact in all his ar- 
rangements of my toilet. His own clothing was 
richer than that of any body-servant at the hotel, 
and he kept it perfectly clean. His superior dress 
helped him wonderfully in carrying out the character 
he had assumed. It was really amusing to observe 
his lofty and dignified bearing among those of his 
own color. 

After having seen what I could to advantage in 
Jackson, I went to Grcneral Johnston and showed 
him my pass from General Price, and told him that 
I wanted him, if agreeable to his good-will and 
pleasure, to give me a permit to visit Yicksburg and 
return. I told him that I had some friends in there, 
and, as we did not always know what might be the 
fortunes of war, I was extremely anxious to see them. 
He made no hesitation about it, but immediately 
ordered the required pass for a period of ten days, 
subject to the approval of the Provost-marshal in 
Yicksburg, whenever I wished to return. 

I took the cars the same day, and went into Yicks- 
burg, where I remained two days. I found a force 
of ten regiments of infantry there, and, as near as I 
could judge, 200 heavy artillery. From what I 
could learn, there was at Haines' Bluff about 12,000 
troops. 'The batteries along the river were very 
formidable, and seemed to me sufficient, if well 
served, to annihilate any water craft that might un- 
dertake to pass. 

At the expiration of two days, I went to the Pro- 



224 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

vost-marshal and got my pass approved, and re- 
turncd as lar as Edwards' Station, where I liad tiie 
good fortune to find my old friends, Avliose names I 
have mentioned. They were very much delighted to 
see me. Sam. Teel still carried his old favorite rifle, 
which he called " Old Bill." This rifle I sold to him 
twelve years before. It was manufactured by Mr. 
Andrews, of Cleveland, Ohio. Many a bear had I 
seen succumb to its unerring aim. The next day 
after my arrival, Sam. Teel procured a pass for him- 
self and three others (mentioning our names) to visit 
Black Eiver and fish. We went directly to the 
bridge, and then rambled up and down the stream 
as much as we pleased. Teel showed me how they 
had blockaded the river below the bridge by sinking 
two small steamboats, one a little above the other, 
to keep our gunboats from coming up to the bridge. 
The bridge and its approaches was guarded by a 
force of 1,000 men. It was nearly night when we 
returned to camp. At Edwards' Station, I found a 
force of 40,000 men. I remained there five days, 
and then returned to Jackson on foot. 

At Clinton, a smart little place, ten miles wTst of 
Jackson, I saw one regiment of infantry. At Jack- 
son there was but one regiment of infantry ; that 
was the 17th Mississippi Zouaves, called the "Pride 
of the Confederacy," and armed with Colt's revolv- 
ing rifles. I was informed in Jackson that the ar- 
mory at Columbus, Miss., had been removed into the 
State of Alabama. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 225 

Having found out all that had been required of 
me in my instructions, I thought it was best to re- 
turn. Accordingly, I again visited General John- 
ston, and requested a pass to Grenada, which was 
granted. 

On arriving at General Price's headquarters, I 
found that during my absence my horse had been 
taken. I made no complaint about it, but contin- 
ued my journey with my mule and servant. Just 
before night, on the first day out from Grenada, I 
passed a stable that contained a very good-looking 
horse. I proceeded on about two miles, and halted 
until after dark, when, leaving my servant and mule 
until my return, I i:)rocured a horse, and we rode all 
night, and the next day without halting, exceptfor 
refreshments ; we returned to the Federal lines with- 
out difficulty. 

On our arrival at Memphis, being unable to pro- 
cure transportation down the river for my horse and 
mule, I turned the former over to the post Quarter- 
master, and left the latter at my old boarding-place, 
on Adams-street. It was the same mule that had 
been given to me by General Eoss, and taken from 
me by the outlaws. I then took a steamboat passage 
to Lake Providence, La., where I foimd General 
McPherson. 

Having heard my report, the general expressed a 
doubt about the two steamboats that I have spoken 
of being sunk in Black River, below the bridge. In 
order to test my reliability, he questioned me about 

10* 



226 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

what kind of a man General Wheeler was, his stat- 
ure, w^eight, complexion, etc., and intimated that he 
was a very large man. I told him that he was mis- 
taken, or else the General Wheeler that he knew and 
the one that I knew were two different persons. He 
then told me that he and General Wheeler both at- 
tended the Military School at West Point at the 
same time, and that he knew him well, and that I 
described him exactly. I afterward had an oppor- 
tunity of proving to him that I was correct about 
the sunken steamboats, by taking him in person to 
the place and showing him the remains of them. 

After I had finished my report to General Mc- 
Pherson, he sent me to General Grant, who was then 
at Milliken's Bend, La. I reported to him all the 
particulars of my trip, even to the conversation that 
I had held with Hall, the cotton-buyer, and Sol. 
Street, the guerrilla. I also asked the general if 
there would be any harm in such outside transactions. 
I told him that if I was allowed to do it, I could pay 
my own exj)enses in the secret service, and thereby 
save that much expense to the Government. 

Said he, "Euggles, don't you have any business 
transactions with outlaws ; if you do, I shall certainly 
disgrace you. Do a straightforward, honest business 
for the Government, and then, if you should ever 
need any assistance, come to me about it, and I will 
see that joii have all the help that you need. A 
good name, well earned, is worth more to you than 
all you can make by unlawful traffic." 

I think the General's advice was excellent. At 



SCOUT AND SPY. 227 

all events, I have followed it, and saved myself tlic 
disgrace that has since fallen npon man}", far my su- 
periors in rank. I have never seen the cotton-buyer 
nor the guerrilla since. 



228 THE GREAT AMERICAN 



CHAPTER XX. 

Return to Mississippi — Instructions — Visit to Troy — Movement of cavalry 
— Reports to General Denver — Is arrested — Federal Cavalry driven 
back — Is released — Visits Greenwood — Journey to the Mississippi River 
— The perilous crossing — Again arrested — Interview with General Pren- 
tiss — Takes the oath of allegiance — Meets a friend — Makes his escape 
— Reports to General Grant. 

When Greneral Grant had heard my report of 
my Mississippi trip, he supplied me with funds, and 
requested me to return into the Confederacy, to what- 
ever place I thought proper, and remain until I saw 
a movement which I considered worthy of his notice, 
and then immediately return. 

With these instructions, I started for Memphis, 
leaving my servant Spence to report himself to the 
company commander. 

At the time I undertook to make the trip, a part 
of the army operating for the capture of Vicksburg 
was engaged in trying to get through the Yazoo Pass 
into the Yazoo River. A part was at Lake Provi- 
dence, a part at Milliken's Bend, and the rest at 
Young's Point ; the three latter places are in Louisi- 
ana, and the former in Mississippi. 

I made up my mind to visit that part of Missis- 
sippi through which any force designing to operate 
against General Grant's movements might be seen, in 
time to communicate the fact to General Grant. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 229 

Supposing tliat I might have swamps and rivers 
to cross, which would liave to be accomplished in 
canoes or on rafts, I determined to make the trip on 
foot. 

I left Memphis some time in the latter part of 
March, in the same dress that I had worn on the 
previous trip, and directed my course to Grenada, 
on the Hernando road. I met with nothing of inter- 
est on the entire road to Grenada, a distance of one 
hundred miles. 

On my arrival at Grenada, I found the forces that 
were there on my last visit to the place, under com- 
mand of General Price, gone, except the conva- 
lescents. 

General Price, as I learned, had gone to Missouri. 
At that time, however, I supposed his forces were at 
Fort Pemberton, near Greenwood, Miss., resisting 
the advance of the Federal force through the Yazoo 
Pass. 

From Grenada I intended to visit Yazoo City, and 
left for that purpose the next morning after my ar- 
rival, on the road to Troy, which place I reached 
about 2 o'clock in the afternoon. There I remained 
until the next morning, and was about resuming my 
journey, when a force of five regiments of cavalry 
made its appearance, coming in on the same road that 
I intended to take out. They passed through Troy, 
and took the direct road to Coffeeville. I followed 
them on foot, and on my arrival at Coffeeville, I 
found them halted for the night. I had been there 
only a few minutes, when another cavalry force of five 



230 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

regiments came in on the road from Grenada, and 
halted for the night. 

The next morning a council was held by the com- 
manding officers, but I was unable to learn the sub- 
ject of discussion. The opinion prevailed among the 
troops that they were a part of the force designed to 
take Memphis. 

I was of a different opinion. I did not think that 
they could bring to bear a sufficient force to take the 
place, and from what I had heard from the line of- 
ficers, I concluded they intended an attempt to cap- 
ture Fort Randolj^h, above Memphis, and intercept 
the supplies being sent below for General Grant's 
army. I felt convinced that the movement was of 
such importance as to warrant me in reporting it, 
and, not knowing how rapid the movement might be, 
I determined to report to the nearest Federal com- 
mander. 

Soon after the council of officers was held, the 
force started — the first five regiments on the road to 
Holly Springs, and the other five on the road to Her- 
nando. I accompanied the first. 

One of the soldiers had an extra horse, which I 
persuaded him to let me ride. The march was con- 
tinued to Lumpkins' Mills, where the regiments halted. 
There I turned my horse over to its owner, and be- 
fore any pickets were thrown out I was on my way 
to Lagrange, which place I succeeded in reaching 
without any interruption. 

At the Yacona River a little incident occurred 



SCOUT AND SPY. 231 

which amused me considerably. Previous to evacu- 
ating that position, the Federal troops destroyed the 
bridge across the river. The water in the stream at 
that place was quite shallow, but the mud was ex- 
ceedingly soft and very deep, and the banks at the 
immediate edge of the water very steep and high for 
a horse to step from. The general in command of 
the force attempted to cross in advance of his com- 
mand, and his horse, in stepping from the edge of the 
bank into the water with its fore feet, plunged in so 
unexpectedly deep that he precipitated the general 
over his head into the water. By the time he had 
established himself on terra jirma, he was, from his 
sousing in the mud and water, a ludicrous looking 
personage. 

On my arrival at Lagrange, I immediately re- 
ported the movements of the enemy to General 
Denver. For some reason, best known to himself, 
he did not credit m}^ report, and detained me under 
arrest until he could ascertain the truth of the 
matter. 

I told the general my instructions, and assured 
him that I thought the movement of the enemy was 
one worthy of notice. A regiment of cavalry was 
then sent out to reconnoitre, and when near Holly 
Springs they encountered the enemy, and a sharp 
engagement took place, in which the superior num- 
bers of the enemy enabled them to drive the Fed- 
erals back, with a loss of eighteen killed and wounded. 
At the end of three days the regiment returned, and 



232 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

the general was convinced tliat a part of my report, 
at least, was true. He then told me that I had 
better report the movement to General Grrant. 

I replied, "I have been of that opinion for three 
days." 

I then determined to penetrate the country be- 
tween Hernando and Coflfeeville to Greenwood, and 
fmd out the locality of the other five regiments of 
cavalry, and see the position and force of the enemy 
at Greenwood, and, if possible, communicate with 
General Ross, and then make my way across to the 
Mississippi River, and then to General Grant's head- 
quarters at Milliken's Bend, La. 

In crossing the country, I left Hernando to my 
right, but learned, by citizens, that the cavalry 
stopped at that place, and that General Hurlbut had 
sent a small force of cavalry to reconnoitre, which, 
like the one General Denver sent out, was driven 
back with considerable loss. 

On arriving at Greenwood, I found that the prin- 
cipal part of the rebel force was twenty miles below ; 
to which place I went. The force there at that time 
was a division of fourteen regiments of infantry, un- 
der General Tighlman, and one other division of in- 
fantr}', under whose command I did not learn, and 
some artillery. 

At the time of my arrival, the rebs had erected a 
battery on a flat near the river, which they flattered 
themselves would do immense execution upon the Yan- 
kee fleet. The Yankees, during its erection, cut 
the levee above, and in the morning the rebs were 



SCOUT AND SPY. 233 

chagrined to find the flat overflowed with three feet 
of water. 

I was exceedingly anxious to communicate with 
General Ross, and the cutting of the levee had very 
much increased the difficulty of so doing. I made a 
great many inquiries concerning the Yankee fleet and 
the danger of crossing to the oj^posite side of the 
river. The soldiers assured me that every person 
that had attempted to cross had been fired into by 
Federal gunboats. The overflow of water made it 
impossible to reach General Ross from the side I was 
on. My anxiety to do so caused me to make several 
indiscreet inquiries of the rebel soldiers, which, I was 
convinced, made them somewhat suspicious of me, 
and I thought it not advisable to remain there longer 
than was absolutely necessary. 

On reflecting upon what course to pursue, I de- 
cided that the safest way would be for me to make 
my way to the Mississippi River, opposite Helena. 
AVith that determination, I left the rebel force in the 
afternoon of the next day after my arrival, and re- 
traced my way twelve miles toward Greenwood, 
and there I took to the left on the bluff road that 
leads to the river, opposite Helena. 

So strong had my fears been excited for my safety, 
by the suspicions caused by my indiscreet inquiries, 
that I did not feel safe to stop at any plantation- 
house overnight, but stayed by myself in the woods. 

Fortunately, the enemy did not suspicion me 
strong enough to induce them to follow. After seven 
days' hard walking, I arrived at Crowder's plan- 



234 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

tation, on the Mississippi River, near the foot of 
Island No. 60, without any molestation. 

I was then three miles from Helena, with the 
Father of Waters between, and no means of trans- 
portation across. I immediately commenced a search 
for some means of crossing. After spending several 
hours in search of a boat, I found a Dutchman, who 
owned an old leaky dug-out, which was very small 
and extremely unsafe for even one person to cross 
in. I concluded, however, that if I could buy it, I 
would make an attempt. The Dutchman asked me 
ten dollars for it, and could not be induced to take 
anything less. I took it, at last, and paid him ten 
dollars in Confederate money. 

I embarked in it and undertook to cross. The 
water came in on me rapidly, and by the time I had 
reached the sand-bar at the foot of Island CO, my 
frail bark was so full of water that I was in imminent 
danger of going down. 

I landed on the bar, and drew my dug-out upon 
the sand and emptied out the water. I had still all 
of two miles further to go, without any intervening 
place on which to land, and before re-embarking it 
was necessary to contrive some way to stop the 
leaks. 

Several years previous to that time I had been en- 
gaged in chopping steamboat- wood on that very 
island. Two winters I had chopped wood there ; 
consequently, I was no stranger to the locality. 

About a quarter of a mile from where I landed, 
near an old wood-chopper's shanty, I found an old 



SCOUT AND SPY. 235 

shirt ; with that I stopped some of tlie worst leaks, 
which having accomplished, I re-embarked on my 
perilous voyage. I kept my bark to the north of 
the middle bar, and ran into the Sterling chute, and 
then landed at Helena, near the foot of Main-street. 

The moment my dug-out touched the shore, two 
guards stood ready to capture me, and accosted me 
with : 

" Hallo, old fellow! what's the news on the other 
side of the river ?" 

"The news is favorable," I replied. 

"Well, I reckon we'll have to take you to the 
Provost-marshal," said one of the guards. 

"Boys, I am a soldier, and I want you to take me 
to the general in command of the post.'' 

" Our instructions are to take all such customers 
as you are to the Provost-marshal." 

"I can't help that, I am a Federal soldier, and I 
want you to take me to the general.'' 

The}' then called the corporal of the guard. I 
knew him ; he belonged to the 25th Indiana Infantry. 
I had frequently seen him in Memphis, during my 
stay there in the winter ; but he knew me as my 
secesli acquaintances had known me^ — as a rebel 
major. I prevailed on him, however, to send me to 
the general, whom I learned from him was General 
Prentiss. 

As soon as we arrived at the general's quarters, 
the guards explained how they had captured me, 
and then returned to their post, leaving me with the 
general. 



236 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

When ready to attend to me, he said : " Well, 
where do you belong ?" 

"To General Grant's arm}'.'' 

" What are you doing here?" 

" I came in from the other side of the river." 

" What do you want here ?" 

"I want to take a steamboat down the river and 
report myself to General Grant." 

" Yes, to General Grant ! That w^ould be a nice 
way to get off? I guess the best place for you to re- 
port is to the Provost-marshal !" 

"General, I am a Mississippian, and a soldier 
sworn into the service of the United States ; and I 
belong to the Arm}^ of the Tennessee, under General 
Grant ; the 17th Army Corps, General McPherson ; 
the 3d Division, General Logan ; the 2d Brigade, 
General Leggett ; the 20th Ohio Eegiment, Colonel 
M. F. Force, and to Company H, Captain E. C. 
Downs ; and I am detached as a scout for Gen. Grant." 

"Yes, a Mississippian ! There are a great many 
Mississippians coming into our lines nowadays. Have 
you any papers to show that ?" 

"No, sir, I have not; but I can tell you all the 
principal movements of the Federal army on the 
l^]ast side of the Mississippi Eiver, since the capture 
of Fort Donelson, up to the i^resent time." 

••Well, what are they?" 
, I then told him what they were, and where Gener- 
al Grant's forces then were ; and then I added: "I 
(* ni tell you all about 3'our surrendering at Shiloh, 
;]iid what Confederate regiments captured you." 



SCOUT AND SPY. 237 

" Well, that's quite likely ; I suspected you could 
do as much. Now tell me about the movements of 
the army in Missouri and Arkansas." 

" I can't do that, General." 

" No, I don't expect that you can. I will now give 
you the following limits : You can go from my quar- 
ters to the Commercial House, and from there to the 
Provost-marshal's office and back ; and if you under- 
take to get away I'll have you shot." 

'' General, I left papers in General Denver's pos- 
session at Lagrange, Tenn., that will show who I am 
and what my business is." 

"Well, you can have the limits that I have given 
you, and if you have got papers to wshow who joii are, 
the Provost-marshal will write for you and get 
them." 

From the general's quarters I went to the Pro- 
vost-marshal, and requested him to write to General 
Denver for the order he took from me, when on my 
way to Yicksburg and Jackson, Miss. I learned from 
him that there was an order from the commander of 
the post requiring all citizens within the lines to take 
the oath of allegiance to the Federal Government by 
9 o'clock of the next day, or be sent outside of the 
lines toward Little Eock. 

I went to General Prentiss the next morning, and 
again assured him that I was a Federal soldier, and 
asked him if he required me to take the oath of alle- 
giance. 

He replied, " Yes ; and unless 3'ou do, you will have 
to leave the lines before 9 o'clock this morning." 



238 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

I then went to the Provost-marshal and took the 
oath. 

I had hoped that in doing so I would be released, 
and allowed the full privilege of a citizen ; but, for 
some reason not known to me, I was not released 
from the limits assigned to me. I could not make 
Grcneral Prentiss nor the Provost-marshal believe that 
[ was a soldier. Several of the soldiers in the 25th 
Indiana Regiment, on provost duty, had known me 
in Memphis, in my assumed character ; but I could 
not make them believe I was a Federal soldier. I had 
very little hopes of getting the order that General 
Denver had taken ftom me ; but I felt almost sure 
that among the great number of officers that I knew 
in Grcneral Grant's army, some of them would stop at 
Helena, either going up or down the river, and. with 
their assistance, I thought I could get released. It 
seemed to me as if every steamer would have on 
board some one of my numerous acquaintances ; but 
one came, and then another, and still another, and in 
that way day after day passed by, and no familiar face 
was seen. In that way I spent nine days in anxious 
suspense. 

At the levee, within the limits allowed me, lay the 
steamer Imperial. She was used for stationary pur- 
poses, and on board was kept a saloon and various 
refreshments. I was allowed to go on board of her 
whenever I desired. 

On the ninth day after my arrest, I happened to 
be on board of her, w^hen the steamer Continental 
came down the river, and, stopping, made fast along- 



SCOUT AND SPY, 239 

side of her. Before the guards made their appear- 
ance, I jumped aboard the Contiuental and ran up 
into the cabin in search of some person that I 
knew. 

There I found Colonel Marsh, of the 20th Illinois 
Regiment. He knew me. I told, him how I came to be 
there, and that I wanted to get away and report my- 
self to General Grant. He was going on shore at 
the time : he handed me the key to his state-room, 
and told me to make myself at home, and when the 
boat started he would join me. In the course of an 
hour we were under way, and without any molestation 
from the provost-guards. Whether the Provost-mar- 
shal ever received my order from General Denver, or 
whether General Prentiss ever found out what be- 
came of me, is more than I know. 

I reported to General Grant the result of my trip, 
and why I had been so long getting to him. He said 
that I had done right in coming back when I did, but 
that I should have reported the cavalry movement to 
General Hurlbut, at Memphis. He then relieved me 
from duty for thirty days, and allowed me for that 
time to go where I pleased. 

I will here say, that I have no doubt that Generals 
Denver and Prentiss acted in good faith on their part, 
and had what seemed to them good and sufficient rea- 
sons for detaining me as they did. 

All the conversation that I had with General Pren- 
tiss was no more than a Confederate spy might have 
liad under the same circumstances. 

Papers I very seldom carried about me when in- 



240 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

side of the enemy's lines ; and in the absence of sucli 
evidence, it was sometimes very hard to convince 
one's own friends of his loyalty, and equally as hard 
for the enemy to make him out a spy. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 241 



CHAPTER XXI. 

Return to the regiment — The Henry rifle — The marcli from Millikeu's 
Bend — The tug of war — The army crosses the Mississippi — Capture of 
Port Gibson — Battle of Raymond — Amusing capture — The charge on 
Jackson — Battle of Champion Hills — The rebel courier — Sharp shoot- 
ing — The gallant charge — The march to Vicksburg — The place be- 
sieged. 

It was about the middle of the month of April that 
I returned to my regiment, which I found encamped 
at Berry's Landing, five miles above Lake Providence, 
La. It was while there that I had an opportunity of 
examining one of Henry's volcanic or repeating 
rifles, which are capable of discharging sixteen 
shots without reloading. The one that I saw was in 
the possession of the captain of the steamboat Supe- 
rior. 

From my first enlistment I had possessed a strong 
desire to have a first-class rifle of the most modern 
improvement. The promise of such a gun was the 
principal condition on which I enlisted. It was several 
months after I enlisted before I received in exchange 
for my " handspike" (musket) the Enfleld that was 
promised to me. 

My long experience as a bear-hunter in the Western 
wilderness had made me expert with the rifle, and 
my desire to have a piece with which I could excel 
at sharp-shooting, if ever an opportunity offered, had 



242 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

become intense, and the organizing campaign against 
Vicksburg seemed to promise the desired opportu- 
nity. 

I went to General G-rant and told him about the 
gun, and that I wished to purchase it and carry it. 
He asked me if I thought I could carry so valuable 
a piece without losing it. "I think I can" was my 
reply. 

'• Very well ; tell General McPherson to get you 
the rifle." 

I saw General McPherson about it, and he gave 
me permission to purchase and carry it. 

It was a most beautiful piece, with steel barrel and 
(chamber. The captain who owned it was so much 
attached to it that he hated to part with it, but at last 
he yielded to my importunities, and sold me the rifle 
for sixty-five dollars, including what cartridges he had. 

]\I3^ release from duty afforded me a splendid op- 
portunit}^ of practising with it. I was perfectly de- 
lighted with its execution. Its accuracy and long 
range was a marvel compared with the best feats of 
marksmanship that I had seen among experienced 
hunters. 

A few days after I purchased the rifle the grand 
move of the army against Vicksburg commenced. 
Several gunboats and transports had already run the 
blockade of the formidable batteries that commanded 
the river. It was on the 25th day of April, 1863. 
at six o'clock A. M., that the 2d Brigade of General 
liOgan's Division, to which I belonged, moved from 
Milliken's Bend. That nidit the division bivouacked 



SCOUT AND SPY. 243 

at Richmond, and the following night at Smith's plan- 
tation. 

A heavy rain set in at the commencement of the 
march, which filled the ground and water-courses full 
of water, which made the roads across those rich allu- 
vial bottoms extremely soft, and easily cut up by the 
artillery and supply wagons. From Smith's planta- 
tion to Perkins' plantation, eight miles below New 
(Carthage, was only fifteen miles, but it took us two 
days to make the march. That march was really a 
'' tug of war." The horses and mules floundered- in 
the mud. At times it was with the greatest difficulty, 
after doubling the teams, that the artillery and wag- 
ons were extricated from those miry depths. The 
men, however, kept up an indomitable good-will and 
courage, which carried us through. It was nine 
o'clock P. M. when we halted for the night, and at 
twelve o'clock the same night we started for Hard- 
Times Landing, situated a short distance above Grand 
(rulf, on the opposite side of the river. The march 
was made by way of Lake St. Joseph, and it was four 
o'clock P. M., of the 29th, when we reached Hard- 
Times Landing. 

On the 1st of May we crossed the river to Bru- 
insburg. It was on that day that General Oster- 
haus' division and two brigades of General Logan's 
division captured Port Gibson. From that time un- 
til the 12th of May, the troops w^cre engaged in fol- 
lowing up the enemy and harassing him. Our gen- 
eral course of march was to the northeast, toward 
Jackson. 



244 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

On the 12tli, General Logan's division being in the 
advance, when within ten miles of Raymond, the 
enemy, abont five thousand strong, including two bat- 
teries of artillery, under command of General 
Gregg, was found advantageously posted, with the ar- 
tillery so arranged as to sweep the road and a bridge 
that it was necessary to pass. 

The division was formed in line preparatory to an 
attack, with the 2d Brigade, commanded by Brigadier- 
General Dennis, on the left, occupying both sides of 
the road ; the 1st Brigade, commanded by Brigadier- 
General John E. Smith, in the centre, on the right of 
the 2d Brigade ; and the 3d Brigade, commanded by 
Brigadier-General J. D. Stephenson, on the right, 
and the 8tli Michigan Battery, commanded by Cap- 
tain De Golyer, in the road near the bridge. 

As soon as the troops were in position, an advance 
was commenced, and the battle opened with great 
energy. The roar of musketry was tremendous. On 
the left of the 1st Brigade and the right of the 2d 
Brigade the contest was dreadful. The line had ad- 
vanced to the ditch in which ran a little stream 
crossed by the bridge. On the side of the ditch next 
to the enemy was a dense growth of underbrush ; 
behind that brush, not fifty yards distant, were the 
enemy. So heavily did the enemy press the left of 
the 1st Brigade, composed of the 23d Indiana and 
tlie 20th Illinois, that they were compelled to give 
back, but immediately rallied, supported by the 81st 
Illinois. The giving back of the left of the 1st Brig- 
ade enabled the enemy to occupy a portion of the ditch, 



SCOUT AND SPY. 245 

and exposed tlie 20tli Ohio, occupying the right of 
the 2d Brigade, to a most galling lire in its flank. 
At one time the regiment was nearly surrounded, but 
it gallantly held its ground, in spite of the terrible 
lire to which it was exposed, and not a man of the 
regiment fell back. 

The 23d Indiana and 20th Illinois now made a 
dashing charge, and drove the enemy from the ground 
that they had lost. It was while gallantly leading 
his men on to victory that the brave Lieutenant-Col- 
onel Richards, of the 20th Illinois, was killed. An 
attempt was made by the enemy to charge and cap- 
ture the battery, but they were met by such a terri- 
ble fire of grape and cannister, that they broke and 
fled from the field. Our troops immediately com- 
menced a pursuit, and by five o'clock P. M. were in 
possession of Raymond. 

The determined obstinacy with which the 20th 
Ohio, under the gallant Colonel Force, held its 
ground, added much to the brilliany of the victory. 
Our loss was 69 killed, 341 wounded, and 30 miss- 
ing. The enemy's was 103 killed, and 720 wounded 
and prisoners, 2 cannon disabled, besides the loss of 
a quantity of small-arms. 

In the morning of the 12th, after the column had 
commenced its line of march. General Logan sent 
me out to the right of the column, to ascertain 
whether a rebel force was coming up from below to 
intercept our line of march. 

After riding out about three miles, I saw, in the 
distance, a single horseman approaching. As I 



246 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

iieared him, it proved to be a Mississippi planter, 
well advanced in years, armed with a Mississippi 
Yager, or rifle. 

" Whar be you gwine ?" he asked, as we met. 

''I'm gwine out to jine our forces and fight the 
Yankees to-day," I replied. 

' ' So am I. I'm jist gwine to turn up sixteen Yan- 
kee moccasins with this yer piece o' mine." 

''If I can kill six o' them thar Lincoln hirelings, 
I'll be satisfied." 

" Well, I'm gwine to kill sixteen, now sure." 

" Well, take care that they don't git you. Is any of 
our forces out on this yer road ?" 

'* No. I've jist come eight miles without seeing 
any. They left for Eaymond last night, an' they are 
jist a gwine to kill the whole Lincoln army." 

"We had better go this Ava}^, then," said I, turning 
back the way I had come. 

" I reckon we had," said the Mississippian. 

As we rode along, he kept up his boasting of how 
many Yanks he was gwine to turn up, little dream- 
ing whom he was addressing. Fortunately for me, 
the road on which the column was moving passed 
through a piece of woodland, so as to hide all move- 
ments of troops. When we came to it, the rear- 
guard of the 17th Corps had passed along out of 
sight, and the advance of the corps next in line of 
march had not come up. As we turned into the 
right, where our troops had been passing, I caught 
sight of two Federal soldiers, sitting by the roadside, 
who had fallen back from their commands. Drop- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 247 

plug a little to tlie rear, I drew my revolyor, and 
motioned to the soldiers to help me. I was a little 
afraid the old fellow would give me battle as soon as 
he discovered his mistake, and I wanted to make 
sure of him. The soldiers comprehended my mean- 
ing, and instantly levelled their pieces at him, which, 
discovering, he halted, and inquired, "Is them thai" 
our forces ?'' 

"Never mind whose forces they are,"' said I, pre- 
senting my revolver : " you go right along.'' 

" I thought it was our forces," said the old man, 
quite crestfallen at his discovery." 

" Come in there, old fellow! come in!" shouted the 
two soldiers. 

"Ride along, daddy, or those Yanks will bore you 
in a minute," said I. 

He took my advice and rode up to the soldiers, 
where I made him turn his horse over to one of them 
and his rifle to the other, and then marched him on, 
at a rapid pace, to overtake the command. 

We came in sight of our lines just as the first fire- 
ing commenced in action at Raymond. As the mus- 
ket reports became frequent, the old man's courage 
failed him, and he began to quiver and grow pale ; 
and when the action became general, and the messen- 
gers of death came thick around us, his limbs could 
scarce support him, and he exclaimed : 

"My God! is that a fight? Won't we all be 
killed ?•' 

'• Oh no," says I, " we haven't begun to fight yet ; 
when we get to fighting you'll see something." 



248 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

"0, if I can only get out of this yor scrape, I'll go 
home and behave mj^self I MyGrod! I will." 

I turned the old man in with the first squad of 
prisoners that came back to the rear. I presume he 
often thinks of his attempt to turn up sixteen Yankee 
moccasins ! 

On the 13th we resumed our march for Jackson, 
by way of Clinton. On the 14th, about five miles 
from Jackson, the enemy's pickets were encountered, 
and driven back to within two and a half miles of 
the city. The enemy was under command of Gen- 
eral W. H. T. Walker, and occupied the top of a 
gradually ascending rise of ground, with a large 
open space in his front. Many of General Walker's 
troops were South Carolina and Georgia regiments, 
and liad only arrived there from the east the night 
before. 

Preparations were now made to give the enemy 
battle. General Sherman's corps had arrived at the 
same time, on another road, to the right. General 
Logan's division was placed in reserve. The Tth Di- 
vision of McPherson's corps, commanded by Briga- 
dier-General Crocker, and part of General Sherman's 
corps, were formed in close column, by division, to 
charge upon the enemy. In our having to cross the 
open field, in full view, the enemy had a decided ad- 
vantage over us. When everything was ready, the 
command was given to charge on a double-quick, and 
the columns moved forward. 

It was a sight that I shall never forget, v/hen 
those thousands of brave boys, in perfect order, swept 



SCOUT AND SPY. 249 

across that field ! The rustle of garments, and the 
flapping of scabbards, cartridge-boxes, and' canteens, 
to the tread of double-quick from that large body of 
soldiers, moving in close column, was like the roar 
of the tornado when it sweeps across the plain. 

Opposed to them was a long line of rebellion's 
choicest troops, pouring into them volley after volley 
of leaden hail. Still, on they went, without a waver. 
It was a terrible spectacle, and awfully grand. Min- 
gled with the roar of the enemy's musketry was the, 
crash of artillery from both sides. 

The charge swept on. Still the enemy held his 
ground, as if determined to withstand the charge, and 
a dreadful encounter seemed imminent. A line of 
fence in front of the enemy was reached, and it van- 
ished like chaff in the wind before those solid columns 
of Western braves. With the crash of that fence 
went the enemy's lines, and the pride of South Caro- 
Hna fled in dismay, followed by the veterans from 
Georgia, that had been stationed as reserves. Then 
went up such shouts of victory as can only be pro- 
duced from Western lungs. Volley after volley was 
fired at their retreating ranks, and pursuit kept up 
until they were driven bej^ond the city. In five hours 
from the time the action commenced, the stars and 
stripes were proudly floating over the capitol of the 
State of Mississippi. 

Our loss was very light compared with that of the 
enemy — much lighter than it would have been, if the 
enemy had not overshot us while crossing the open 
field. For the casualties of the battle, the reader is 

II* 



250 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

referred to the official reports of the commanding 
generals. 

As the troops were going into Jackson, I asked 
General Grant if he had any objection to my taking 
a look through Jackson for my field-glasses. 

"lean only instruct you/' said the general, "to 
take such things as arc warranted by the rules of 
war." 

The city had been so completely ransacked by the 
soldiers before I got in, that I failed to get pay for 
my glasses. 

On the 15th of May we marched west, toward 
Vicksburg, and on the 16th the enemy was found 
in large force at Champion Hills, under command of 
Lieutenant-General Pemberton. He had moved his 
army out from Vicksburg to attack us. The position 
selected by the enemy was a strong one, on the sum- 
mit of an elevation, or ridge of ground, with a line 
something like a crescent, the right and left of the 
line further advanced than the centre. The face of 
the hill, in front of the enemy, was an open field, 
thereby exposing our lines to view as we advanced to 
the attack. The enemy's lines were in the skirts of a 
piece of woods that extended to his rear. 

Early in the day the battle commenced, opening 
on our left, and extending gradually along to our 
right, until the whole line was engaged, when it raged 
with intense fury. General Hovey's division on our 
left, from the much stronger position occupied by the 
enemy in its front, suffered terribly 5 but timely sup- 
port arrived, and the enemy was driven back. An 



SCOUT AND SPY. 251 

attempt was then made to crush our centre, but in 
vain. Support having- arrived to the assistance of the 
centre, a dashing charg-e was made and the enemy 
routed. 

It was a desperate and hard-fought battle, with i\ 
heavy loss on both sides, but that of the enemy was 
much the heaviest. Here, again, I must refer tlie 
reader to the official reports for the casualties. It will 
not be amiss, perhaps, to give the reader some of my 
personal experience in that battle. 

When the action commenced, I was instructed by 
General Logan to keep to the right of each brigade 
of his division, as they successively arrived in posi- 
tion and became engaged, and to watch closely for 
any attempt at flank movement on the part of the 
enemy. My first position was with the line of skir- 
mishers of the 2d Brigade. About the time our 
skirmishing commenced, a rebel courier was seeiiv 
dashing along in a line nearly parallel to the line ol 
skirmishers from the right, and about one hundred 
yards in advance of the line. When up with and in) 
front of the line, he discovered us and wheeled to the 
right, and was dashing away at right angles with our 
line, when six of us brought our pieces to bear on. 
him and fired. He fell from his horse, with one foot 
fastened in the stirrup. At that instant, the horse 
gave a leap over a log, and the dangling body struck 
the log and bounded into the air higher than the 
horse's back, and then struck the ground with a 
"thug"' sufficient, to all appearances, to have crushed 
every bone in his body. 



252 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

A few minutes later, I saw a rebel major leading 
his regiment forward to charge upon one of our bat- 
teries. He was not more than fifty yards distant. 
In an instant I brought my "repeater" to my face, 
and while I was looking at the prominent point of 
his right cheek-bone, a ball took him in the exact 
spot that I was looking at, and he tumbled from his 
horse. 

I now discovered that, instead of a regiment, a 
whole brigade was coming, and that our skirmishers 
had fallen back, and that I was in range between 
McAllister's battery and the rebs. I started on a run, 
and fairly flew as I went ; but before I could get out 
of range, the battery opened on the rebs with double 
charges of grape and canister, which came howling 
and tearing the ground all about me. How I escaped 
instant death is a wonder to me. I succeeded in get- 
ting out of the way before another round was fired, 
quite satisfied with my experience there. 

I then moved round much further to the right, and 
took with me a corporal of the 20th Ohio, by the 
name of William Grinnell, whom I found engaged in 
sharp-shooting. After reconnoitring a little, we dis- 
covered a rebel batter}' of eight guns, that kept up a 
harassing fire upon our lines. We succeeded in 
sheltering ourselves from view, in close rifle-range of 
the guns, behind a large clump of bushes, and then 
commenced paying our respects to the gunners. We 
were doing excellent execution, and had fired ten or 
twelve shots apiece, when the enemy returned our 
compliments with a double charge of can- 



SCOUT AXD spy. 253 

ister that mowed the bushes all about as. The charge 
made such a terrible whizzing and howling, and came 
so suddenly and unexpectedly, that I involuntarily 
dropped to the ground. 

"Are you hurt. Bunker?" called out the cor- 
poral. 

" No ; are you?'' 

" No ; but if we had stood anywhere else we should 
both have been killed." 

Th^ ground was literally ploughed up all about us. 

A few minutes later, the 8th Illinois and 32d 
Ohio made a charge on the battery to capture it. As 
the line advanced, there became a strife between the 
two regiments which should reach it first and take 
})ossession. The ofiicers and men of the 3 2d Ohio 
had been smarting under the false accusation of 
"Harper's Ferry cowards," and had longed for an 
opportunity of retrieving their reputation. 

"Come on, boys; we are ' Harper's Ferry cow- 
ards !' " shouted a captain ; and the words were in- 
stantly repeated by the whole regiment, and with a 
dash they outstripped their Illinois rivals. As they 
raised the hill near the battery, a round of canister 
was fired at them, but, fortunately, it was aimed too 
high to do much injury. The rebs then broke and 
ran, leaving six of their guns to fall into the hands 
of the 32d Ohio. Major-General Logan complimented 
the regiment highly for its gallantry, and allowed 
Company F to retain the guns and serve them. 
That company was originally recruited as an artillery 
company. 



254 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

On the I7tli of May we resumed our march, and 
on the 18th we crossed Black River, and on the 19th 
our lines extended around Yicksburg, from the river 
above to the river below, occupying a line of about 
seven miles in length. 

Major-Greneral Sherman's corps occupied the right, 
Major-Grcneral McPherson's the centre, and Major- 
General M'Clernand's the left. Then began the siege 
of Yicksburg. 

Up to the commencement of the siege, the troops 
had marched over two hundred miles and taken 
part in five distinct battles, and accomplished it in 
tAventy-five days ; and a large portion of that time 
they had been without rations, except such as they 
foraged from the country. 



SCOUT AND Bpy. 255 



CHAPTER XXII. 

First sbaip-shooting at Vicksburg — Silences two guns— The rifle-pit 
— Shoots a Carolinian — The Carolinian's comrade — Outshoots a 
squad of sixteen — The defiant rebel — Shoots for General McPhcrson 
and General Logan — Beats the Parrot rifles — Joke on the Adjutant- 
General — Visit to Admiral Porter — The French spy — The disclosures — 
Capture of a rebel dispatch — The fate of the spy. 

I SHALL uot attempt to give the reader a detailed 
history of the siege of Yieksburg, but shall confine 
myself to incidents in my own experience during 
the siege. 

The country lying about the city of Vicksburg is 
of a peculiar formation — very hilly and ex- 
tremely broken. It consists of threads, or narrow 
ridges, with deep ravines between, running in every 
direction, with spurs or smaller ridges putting out 
from them. 

The lines occupied by the two contending armies 

were a succession of those ridges, with a general 

course nearly parallel, but at unequal distances 

^part, forming an irregular circuit about the city 

from the river above to the river below. 

The next day after the regiment to which I be- 
long moved into its position at the rear of Vicks- 
burg, two pieces of the enemy's artillery opened a 
very annoying fire upon it Avith shell. The men 



256 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

were under the necessity of lying flat on the ground, 
behind the ridge, for protection, and even then were 
in great danger from the explosion of the shells. I 
went to Colonel Force and asked him if I might go and 
try my hand at silencing the guns with my rifle. 

He said, "Yes; but you must be very careful, for 
the shells are coming very low. " 

I started out, and made m.y way along under 
cover of the ridge on which we lay, until I came to 
one of the spurs mentioned, that approached much 
nearer to the enemy's works than did the ridge oc- 
cupied by the regiment. From that I succeeded in 
getting a good view of the guns that were shelling us. 
In front of me was a dry oak log, and underneath it 
I dug out a hole that enabled me to shoot under it, 
and the log prevented the enemy from seeing me. 

As soon as I had become fixed in my position, I 
commenced to pick off the gunners. I succeeded 
so well that only two shells were fired after I took 
my position. Several ineffectual attempts were 
made to load the guns, but the moment a gunner 
stepped up to fill the place of his fallen comrade he 
was picked off, and finally the guns were aban- 
doned, and the bodies of those that had fallen left 
where they fell. 

My success seemed incredible. To put it bej'ond 
a doubt, I concluded to go back and get some officer 
to come and see what had been accomplished. I went 
back to the regiment, where I found Colonel Force. 
I said to him, "Colonel, I have silenced those two 
guns that were shelling us." 



SCOUT AND SPY. 257 

"I see they haven't fired much since you left." 

" How many did they fire after I went away?*' 

" Only two or three, I believe." 

'' Well, now, Colonel, for my credit, please to go 
over with me where I have been at work, and see 
what I have been doing." 

"Eeally, I don't know as I ought to leave here a 
moment, but I want to learn the lay of the ground, 
and I don't care if I go." 

He followed along behind me to where I had 
been at work, and then commenced looking with his 
field-glasses. 

"See there! see — see — see that man leading that 
horse yonder ! Do you see him ?" said he. 

"Yes." 

"Well, try him a pull." 

"Don't get me excited, Colonel, but watch the 
man." 

" Crack !" went my rifle. 

"I declare!" said the Colonel, "that's — that's a 
valuable piece ! Excuse me, I must go back." 

Rifle-trenches were immediately dug on the ridges 
of ground nearest the enemy's works, and in them 
were stationed sharp-shooters, who kept up a con- 
stant fire, night and day, which answered as a cover 
for our fixtigue parties engaged in digging approaches 
to his works, and also prevented him from doing much 
execution with his artillery. Our artillery was not 
idle, but kept up a fire from some part of the line at 
all hours of the day and night. 

A few days after the siege was fairly in operation. 



258 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

Grcnoral Logan asked me to go out, at night, to an 
elevated spot of ground between our rifle-trenches 
and the enemy's, on which stood a large stump, and 
dig myself a pit behind the stump, and see if I could 
pick otF some of the rebel sharp-shooters. 

As soon as it was dark I took a spade and a can- 
teen of water and went over. The spot was not more 
than fifty yards from the enemy's trenches. During 
the night, I dug myself a pit large enough so that I 
could squat down in it. When daylight came, I 
found that I had an excellent view of the enemy's 
trenches, without being seen myself. I worked out a 
little hole underneath one of the roots of the stump, 
and through that I did my shooting. Toward the 
middle of the day the sun shone down excessively 
hot, and I had nothing to shade me from its burning 
rays. My pit was not large enough for comfort, and, 
besides, I had neglected to take au}^ rations v/ith me. 
My supply of w^ater also gave out, and by noon my 
position seemed almost unbearable. To leave it in 
daylight would be certain death. I bore my situation 
as well as I could, and improved it to the best ad- 
vantage. During the day I had several fair shots, 
wiiich I improved, and did good execution. 

About two o'clock in the afternoon, a rebel sharp- 
shooter (whom, from his dress, I took to be a Caro- 
linian), undertook to crawl up to the top of their 
(earthworks, behind a stump that hid him from the 
view of our sharp-shooters, that he might be enabled 
to get a shot at them. He crawled along, with his 
gun in his right hand, till near the spot, and then took 



SCOUT AND SPY. 259 

off his big-brimmed hat and turned his head up 
sideways to look around the side of the stump at our 
sharp-shooters. My position to him was such tliat I 
could see every movement that he made. He evi- 
dently did not know where I was. While his head 
was turned up my gun cracked, and his feet flew 
straight behind him. 

A comrade of his then undertook to crawl up and 
drag him away. When he was about ready to grasp 
the dead man by the legs, my gun again cracked, and 
he rolled over on his back near his comrade. Both 
of them remained there until dark, without any at- 
tempt being made to remove them. 

As soon as it was dark I made my way back to 
my quarters, w^ell satisfied with my experience in an 
advanced rifle-pit. 

Not many days after the foregoing incident, I was 
passing along the intrenchments, when I found a 
squad of sixteen men, part of them of the 23d Indi- 
ana Kegiment, and the rest from the 45th Illinois, 
engaged in sharp-shooting. They saw me passing 
with my rifle, and, having heard of its long range and 
accuracy, called me, and expressed a desire to have 
me try it on a fellow that they had been shooting at 
for about two hours, but without success. 

The fellow that they had been shooting at was en- 
gaged in digging a rifle-pit in advance of the enemy's 
intrenchments, and while digging he was exposed to 
view. 

I asked the boys what distance they had been 
shooting, and they informed me that they had ]3een 



260 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

trying him at a range of nine hundred yards, and had 
succeeded in hitting the dirt about him. I raised 
the sight of my rifle to nine hundred yards, and then 
requested the squad to cease firing for a few minutes, 
and let the smoke clear away, and then to watch 
where my ball struck. As soon as the atmosphere 
was clear of smoke, and everything quiet, I levelled 
my piece and fired. 

"You've hit him! youVe hit him?" exclaimed 
several. 

The fellow straightened up, whirled about, as if 
angry, and then flung his shovel from him as far as 
he could, and then sat down. In about a minute 
after he began gradually to throw up his hands, and 
then fell over backward on the ground, evidently 
dead, where he remained, as he had fallen, during the 
rest of the day. The next morning his body had 
been removed. 

On another occasion, two companies of the 20th 
Ohio were engaged at digging in the approaches to 
the rebel Fort Hill, and were subjected to a very an- 
noying fire from a squad of about fifteen rebel sharp- 
shooters, stationed in a ditch, not accessible, at that 
time, to our artillery. 

I was sent for, and requested to bring my rifle and 
see if I could silence them. A place had been fixed 
for me near where the companies were at work, con- 
siderably in advance of any other sharp-shooter. I 
worked a long time at them, during which time I did 
good service. After awhile there was but one to be 
seen ; the rest had either been disabled or so badlv 




GENERAL BUNKER 



Jmkxon /iaa//.»;l/i ,S"'.W,r/u,j,m /Siiftrn' to Hif /eft 



SCOUT AND SPY. 2G1 

frightened as to have laid down in the bottom of the 
ditch for safety. I kept up a fire at the single indi- 
vidual for some time. My balls would strike the 
ground close to him, and then he would swing his hat 
'in defiance or return my shot. Twice he put his 
balls within an inch of my head ; once a sliver from 
•the timber under which I shot was knocked off and 
struck me on the head, hurting me considerably. 
Another ball hit a bayonet that I had placed in the 
dirt to rest my rifle upon, and, glancing upward, 
passed through my hat, taking off" a portion of my 
hair, just missing my head. 

A lieutenant came along, and I told him what I 
had been doing. He got upon the earth-works where 
I was, and, seeing the defiant rebel, asked me to 
let him try his hand at him. He fired several shots, 
but with no better success. 

By that time it was nearly night, and I had fired 
at the squad forty-eight shots, so I concluded to give 
up the shooting of the defiant man as a bad job. 

The next day the ditch was unoccupied ; the ex- 
perience of the day before had evidently satisfied 
them. 

On another occasion, while I was engaged in sharp- 
shooting. General McPherson and General Logan 
came into the fortifications, and were watching a 
party of ten or twelve rebels engaged in digging 
a ditch. They called me, and General McPherson 
said : 

"Bunker, canyon shoot into that ditch yonder, 
where those men are at work? They have been 



262 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

shooting at them with the Parrot rifle cannon and 
haven't thrown a shot in there yet." 

*'Yes, I think I can." 

"Well, try it." 

I raised my sight to one thousand yards, and 
lired at the ditch. 

"There!" said McPherson, looking through his 
glasses, " you've hit one of them !" 

' ' They are carrying out one ! " said Logan, look- 
ing with his glasses. 

"Try it again," said McPherson. 

I did try. I fired two more shots into the ditch, 
and the whole squad ran out and left it. 

A few days afterward, I chanced to meet Greneral 
McPherson, who asked me how my ammunition 
held out. I told him that it was nearly all gone. 

"Well, Bunker," said he, "come over to my tent 
day after to-morrow, and I will try to have some 
on hand for jou. I think that I can keep you sup- 
plied. " 

In the evening of the day agreed upon, I went 
over to Greneral McPherson's tent. He was absent ; 
but Colonel Clark, Assistant Adjutant-General, was 
there, who, as soon as I entered, inquired of me 
what I wanted. 

"I want to see Greneral McPherson." 

"What do 3'ou want of General McPherson ?" 

"I want to see him about some ammunition." 

"What kind of ammunition do you want?" 

" Cartridges for one of Henry's repeating rifles. " 

"Well, this a'n't the place to get ammunition. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 263 

Go to the ordnance officer, and see if you can't get 
it of him.'' 

I did as I was directed, but found no cartridges. 
I returned to the tent, and said to him, "General, 
that officer did n't have any cartridges.'" 

I started for my quarters and before I had got out 
of sight General McPherson entered, and some one 
told him that there was a man just in to see him, and 
that he had stepped out. The General came out and 
called me back. 

"Well, Bunker," said he, "I haven't got those 
cartridges yet ; but you go over to General Grant's 
headquarters, and tell his Chief-of-Staif that I sent 
you over to get some cartridges for your rifle. He 
has got a rifle of that kind, and I presume that he 
has got some cartridges." 

In the morning, early, I went over to General 
Grant's headquarters, and I told him that General 
McPherson had sent me there to get some ammunition 
for my rifle from his Chief-of-Staff. He told me that 
his Chief-of-Staff had gone to St. Louis, and had 
taken his rifle with him. 

"Do you know of anybody that has got any of 
that kind of cartridge?" I inquired. 

"I think," said the General, "that Admiral 
Porter has got ammunition of that kind, and I will 
give you a request to carry to him, and you may go 
and see him about it. 

He wrote a note for me to hand to Admiral Porter, 
and commenced to write me a pass, but was inter- 
rupted by some business, so he handed me the note, 



264 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

and told me to step over to the Provost-marshal 
and ask him to write me a pass. 

I did so ; but, being a stranger to the Provost- 
marshal, he did not know that I was a soldier, and 
the pass that I received read as follows : 



" Headquarters Department of the Tennessee, ) 
" Rear op Vicksburo, Miss. , June — , 1863. S 
"Lorain Ruggles, a citizen of the South, has leave to visit 
Admiral Porter's flag-ship and return with a gun. 

" James Wilson, " Prowst-marsJud.'" 

I took my rifle and went to Chickasaw Landing, on 
the Yazoo river, where I succeeded in getting on board 
the steamer Diligent, a dispatch-boat, as she went 
down to the gunboats with dispatches. The flag- 
ship, at that time, lay in the Mississippi River, a 
short distance above Yicksburg. 

I found the Admiral, and handed him the note 
from Grcneral Grrant, which he read ; and then, 
giving me a searching look from head to foot, he said: 

"Well, Mr. Scout, jou want some ammunition 
for your rifle ; but I don't keep any such trifling 
guns about me, and consequently I have got none 
of that kind of ammunition." 

'•Look "e here, Mr. Admiral," said I; "that gun 
a'n't so small a trifle as you imagine. I can kill a 
reb. with it at a distance of nine hundred j^ards, and 
I can outshoot the Parrot rifles I " 

"Ah, you can't commence with my guns! They 
are better than that. Orderly, go down and bring 
up one of my favorites." 



SCOUT AND SPY. 265 

The orderly soon returned with a beautiful Spencer 
rifle. "There," said the Admiral, handing me the 
gun ; "how do you like the looks of that?" 

I took it and examined it careftilly all over. It 
was a seven-shooter, with a bayonet, and every part of 
it most beautifully finished. It suited me to a charm. 

"Well, inasmuch as I have got no cartridges for 
my gun, how will you trade guns with me?" 

"I can't part with it ; you might as well try to get 
my ship as that gun ! " 

He then told me that if Grcneral Grant wanted 
me to have one, he would get one like it for me. 

I told him that I could not carry two guns, and that 
T did not want one unless I could exchange mine. 
He promised, however, to make an effort to get me 
some cartridges. B\' this time the dispatch-boat 
was ready to return, and I went back to Chickasaw 
Landing. 

On my arrival at the landing, I met a little 
Frenchman, whom I liad frequently seen in Mem- 
phis, and at the camps about there, and I had for 
some time suspected that he was a Confederate spy. 

I first saw him in the camps of the 20th, 78th, 
and 68th Ohio, and the 23d Indiana regiments, en- 
gaged in buying Confederate monej^ of the soldiers. 
At that time he wore very long hair, and was 
dressed like a citizen ; but < n this occasion his hair 
was cut short, and he was dressed like a clerk about 
some headquarters. 

I saw him several times at Memphis, while 1 was 
under the assumed character of a rebel major. He 
• u 



266 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

had never seen me in any other dress than that of 
a citizen. 

I expressed delight at meeting him, shook hands 
with him, and inquired about his health, etc. 

" Who are you to work for now ? " he inquired. 

'For General Johnston." 

"Arc you? So am I!" 

' ' What news have you got ?" 

' ' Nothing new. Have you any news ?" 

"No, not at present. Come, let us go over to the 
steamer Arago and get something to drink before we 
separate. There is an old friend of ours that is com- 
missary clerk aboard of her. He used to live in 
Holly Springs, Miss., and, when we were in Memphis 
last winter, he was there engaged in buying mules 
and smuggling them through the Yankee lines to sell. 
Let us go over and see him. 

The Frenchman accompanied me on board the 
steamboat, and there we found the clerk I had told 
him about, who took us to the bar and got us some- 
thing to drink. He also induced the barkeeper to 
sell me a canteen of whiskey, as a favor to a special 
friend. 

Having procured the whiskey, I prevailed upon 
the Frenchman to accompany me, and we went up 
the bank of the river to a secluded place, where we 
sat down to enjoy ourselves. 

My companion seemed to relish Jhe whiskey much 
better than I did, and its effects soon made him very 
communicative, so that I was enabled to draw out a 
great deal of information concerning his business as a 



SCOUT AND SPY. 267 

spy. He told me that he was engaged in getting dis- 
patches through the Federal lines at Yicksburg to 
Generals Johnston and Pemberton. 

During his visits to the Federal camps at Mem- 
phis, to purchase Confederate money, he had noted 
down the names of the officers in the different regi- 
ments, and the companies to which they belonged. 

With that knowledge, whenever he wanted to get 
from Chickasaw Landing into our lines, he would go 
to the Provost-marshal and represent himself as be- 
longing to captain such-a-one's company, in such a 
regiment, on detached service, and get a pass to- 
visit his regiment, and with it he could pass our 
lines. 

The dispatches of Greneral Johnston were brought 
across the country, by cavalry, to a point oa the Ya- 
zoo Eiver about Haines' Bluff. There the- spy re- 
ceived them, and crossed over to the opposite side of' 
the river, and then came down the river opposite to 
Snyder's Bluff ; there he would manage to cross at 
night in a canoe, and land inside of our lines without 
being seen. There he would get on board a dispatch 
boat and come down to Chickasaw Landing, and 
would procure a pass, as I have explained. From 
there he would go to Mr. Smith's, who lived between 
the picket lines at the landing and the troops at the 
rear of Yicksburg. 

He would give the dispatches to Mr. Smith's daugh- 
ter, and she would give them to a servant of hers, a 
smart, intelligent colored boy, rather small of his age, 
who would carry them to the river above Yicksburg. 



268 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

He described to me the route the colored boy would 
take to get to the river. 

At the river the colored boy would give them to a 
lisherman, who staid there, and was engaged in catch- 
ing fish and selling them to the gunboatmen and the 
soldiers. The fisherman had lost a hand while in the 
rebel army, in the battle of Shiloh, and had been dis- 
charged. 

He had represented to Admiral Porter that he had 
belonged to the Federal army, and had been wound- 
ed, as before stated, and discharged, and had suc- 
ceeded in getting permission from him to fish in the 
river, and visit his lines at all hours of the night. 
He had managed to make himself a favorite at the 
picket-post near the river, and his frequent visits 
to his lines near the post, at all hours of the day 
and night, had ceased to excite any suspicion Vvdiat- 
ever. 

The fisherman would take the dispatches, and at 
night, while visiting his lines, pass the pickets, and 
carry them to the rebel pickets, and then return. 

In the same channel General Pemberton's dis- 
patches went out. How long communication had 
been kept up in that way I did not learn. 

After having drank the most of the whiskey, we 
returned to the landing and separated. I went to the 
Provost-marshal and told him that there was one of 
G-eneral Johnston's spies there, and requested him to 
send some guards and arrest him. 

" Are you a soldier?" he inquired. 

"Yes." 



SCOUT AND SPY. 269 

"Where did you come from ?" 

"Admiral Porter's flag-ship." 

" Have you got a pass ?" 

"Yes." 

"Let me see it." 

I handed it to him, and he commenced reading, 
"Lorain Ruggles, a citizen of the South" — he turned 
around and exclaimed, "What business have you 
here ? You ain't any better than the rest of them !" 

I went out and found that the Frenchman was just 
stepping on board the dispatch-boat Diligent, and in 
a moment more the boat was under way for Snyder's 
Bluff". 

I reported to General Grant the information that I 
had received, and then asked him if I might furlough 
the spy wherever I found him. He told me to do 
with him just as I thought proper, under the circum- 
stances, and I should be protected by the military 
authorities. 

In two days after, the colored boy was captured, 
and a dispatch from General Johnston found on his 
person. About the same time the fishing arrange- 
ment at the river was broken up. I can also assure 
the reader that the little Frenchman, though never 
arrested, will never buy any more Confederate money 
nor carry any more rebel dispatches. 



270 THE GREAT AMERICAN 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

Sent for by General Grant — Instructions — Crosses Black River — Is cap- 
tured by rebel cavalry — Sent to General DeVieu— The interview — 
Passes as Johnston's spy — Tlie attempt to escape — The Pursuit — Fired 
at by Federal pickets — Again fired at by the enemy — Tlie pursuers 
driven back — Again fired at by Federal pickets — The alarm — Reports 
to General Osterhaus — Reports to General Grant. 

While the siege was progressing, Greneral John- 
ston was engaged in concentrating a large Confederate 
force to attack General Grant in the rear, and force 
him to raise the siege of Yicksburg, and thereby re- 
lieve General Pemberton and his forces. 

General Grant, in the mean time, had been consid- 
erably re-enforced, and had formed a line of defence 
from the Black Eiver Bridge northwest along Clear 
and Bear Creeks, across to the Yazoo River at 
Haines' Bluff, and a heavy force was stationed along 
that line to resist any attempt on the part of the 
enemy to raise the siege. 

The difficulty of rapidly crossing Black River with 
a large force below the bridge, rendered it necessary 
to keep a force stationed on the line running from the 
bridge to the Mississippi River below Yicksburg ; for 
the enemj', once across, would run a very poor 
chance of recrossing without destruction. A constant 
watch was kept up by our scouts, however, to see 
whether the enemy would attempt to cross there. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 271 

Some time toward the latter part of June, General 
Grant sent for me, and requested me to make a trip 
across Black River, and find out whether the enemy 
was making any attempt or movement indicative of 
crossing. 

I was instructed to cross at the bridge, through Gen- 
eral Osterhaus' lines, and take the road to Fifteen- 
mile Creek, and, if I met with nothing to prevent, to 
go on to the creek and remain there two days, and at 
the end of that time return. If I discovered any 
movement of importance while on my way, I was to 
report it immediately. 

The general cautioned me not to go inside of the 
enemy's lines, because it was a critical time, and if I 
did I would probably lose my life. He told me that 
several scouts had been sent out for the same purpose, 
and that none of them agreed in their reports. He 
told me that he was extremely anxious to know what 
the enemy was doing there, and v/hat were his inten- 
tions, and charged me to be very cautious, so that I 
mio'lit return. 

I was handed an order to General Osterhaus, to 
the effect that I was to be passed out of his lines, and 
when I returned I was to be immediately sent to 
General Osterhaus, under guard, and whatever I re- 
ported to him was to be immediately telegraphed to 
General Grant. 

I carried the order to General Osterhaus, at Black 
River, who, when he had read it, sent me, under 
guard, to the picket line, with instructions to the 
officer in command of the pickets to pass me 



272 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

out. The picket line was on the cast side of the 
river. 

As I left the river, I was very particular to notice 
minutely the roads and fences, and the features of the 
ground. About a mile from the bridge, on the road 
that leads to Edwards' Station, the Fifteen-mile Creek 
road turns off to the right. At the corners of the 
road the reserve pickets were stationed. About a 
quarter of a mile from the reserve, the road turns 
square to the left, and, at a distance of about one 
hundred yards further on, it turns back again square 
to the right. At that point the vedettes were sta- 
tioned. On the left-hand side of the road, going out 
from the reserve to the vedettes, was a hedge fence. 
From the vedettes, in a straight line across to the re- 
serve, was an open field, and the fence had been torn 
down or removed to allow the cavalry a chance to 
charge across it, if necessary. 

Before leaving the pickets, I told the lieutenant in 
command of the guards that I should not come back 
that night, unless I was driven back, and that if I 
came back I should come on the run, and that I would 
have no gun in my hands, nor anything else that 
might be taken for one. I also requested him to de- 
scribe to each man in person, as he took his post as 
vedette, my dress, so that there could be no mistake 
about who I was, and no cause for firing into me. 
The lieutenant instructed his men as I requested him ; 
and besides, I found that several of them knew me, 
which very much relieved my fears about being fired 
at. I was on foot and dressed like a citizen. 



SCOUT AND SPY. Zi6 

Supposing that I had made all the necessary ar- 
rangements for my safety in case I was driven back, 
I started out. About half a mile from the vedettes, 
the road crossed a low piece of ground, and had been 
fdled in with brush and rails, while wet, to kee}) 
wagons from miring, but the dry weather had dried 
up the mud and left the rails and brush bare, render- 
ing it extremely difficult to cross without making a 
great deal of noise. 

I had gone but a short distance after crossing it, 
when I heard a cracking of brush behind me, and 
turned to see Avhat it was. The reader can judge my 
surprise when I saw in the road behind me, fourteen 
rebel cavalry. I was )rdered to halt, which I did, 
and they, at the same time, dismounted. 

There I was, captured almost within sight of our 
own pickets. It was no time to show timidity, so I 
resolved upon a bold expedient. 

" Who are you ?" said one of the cavalrymen. 

" I am a Confederate soldier." 

" Where do you belong?" 

" When I am at my proper command I belong to 
Price's headquarters." 

' ' Have you got a pass ?" 

"No, sir." 

" What are you doing here?" 

" Gentlemen, you are soldiers I presume?" 

"Yes, sir." 

"What is your duty when you capture a man in 
my fix?" Another one spoke up and said : " Some- 
times we take him out and hang him." 

12* 



274 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

"Shut your mouth," said I, " I wasn't talking to 
you," 

"Ha," says he, "you're mighty stiff." 

Says I, " Have you a commissioned officer in this 
squadron ?" 

" Yes, I'm the lieutenant." 

"Well, then, detail two men out of your ranks, 
and send me to your headquarters, if you've got any." 

They tried to draw" me into conversation. Said I, 
" What are your instructions ?" 

"Why, to take you to headquarters." 

"Well, then, do it," said I. 

They said no more, but took me to headquarters. 

I watched narrowly every feature of the road and 
the country as we went, determined, if possible, to 
make my way back that night. Not a word was ex- 
changed between us on the way. 

About five miles from where I was captured, and 
nearly seven miles from Black River bridge, we 
came to Greneral DeYieu's headquarters. They 
were situated near the crossing of the roads, where 
the road from Baldwin's Ferry (below Black River 
bridge) to Edwards' Station crosses the one that I 
was on. 

When we arrived at General DeYieu's quarters, 
one of the guards went in, and I heard him say to 
the general, " We have got a man out there that we 
captured close to the Yankee lines, without a pass, 
and he says that he is a Confederate soldier. We 
could not find out his business, but he told us to 
bring him to you, and we have done so." 



SCOUT AND SPY. 275 

"Well, have him come in," said the General. 

The guard came out, and told me to go in. As I 
entered, I took off my hat, and, saluting him, I 
looked him in the face with as much composure as 
though I had been his commanding officer. 

"Where have you been?" he inquired. 

"I have been inside of the Yankee lines about 
Vicksburg." 

" Where do you belong? " 

" I belong to G-eneral Price's army." 

" What were you doing here ? " 

" I am now under orders from General Johnston 
to reconnoitre thoroughly about the Yankee lines at 
Vicksburg. I have done so, and I am now on my 
way to report to General Johnston." 

"Have you got any pass, or any papers to that 
effect?" 

"No, sir, I haven't got the scratch of a pen 
about me ; but. General, if you Avill go with me to 
General Johnston's adjutant-general I can show you 
papers in his oflice that will tell you who I am 
and what my business is." 

' ' What is your name ? " 

"Lorain Ruggles, sir ; I am a brother to General 
Ruggles." 

" Ah ! A brother of General Euggles ! " 
-"Yes, sir." 

" Well, what is the news about Vicksburg?" 

"General, if you insist upon it, I shall have to 
tell youj because you are my superior officer, but my 
instructions from General Johnston were to recon- 



276 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

noitre tliorouglily, and get all the information that I 
could, and then to report to him, and to him only,. 

"Ah! I beg your pardon, Mr. Rnggles. Excuse 
me ! I don't want you to violate your instructions. 
I don't wish to interfere with any of General Johnston's 
arrangements. Do you wish to go right on to General 
Johnston's headquarters ? " 

' ' General, I have been considerably exposed, and 
a little short of rations for several days, and have 
travelled about on foot a great deal, and am very 
much fatigued ; and if it would be agreeable to your 
good-will and pleasure, I would be happy to remain 
in your brigade overnight, and then go out to General 
Johnston's headquarters to-morrow." 

" Very well, you can stay ; any of those orderlies 
out there will give you something to eat. I shall send 
two men out to headquarters in the morning, and, if 
you like, you can go with them." 

" Thank you, General, I shall be very glad of the 
company." 

It was about two o'clock in the afternoon when I 
arrived there. The orderlies gave me some dinner 
and also some supper. I improved my time in con- 
versation with the officers and men, in picking up in- 
formation. 

The force stationed there was a brigade of Texas 
cavalry, about 1,200 strong. Their business was to 
watch the Baldwin's Ferry road for any attempt of 
General Grant's forces to cross and get to the rear of 
General Johnston. 

The brigade was destitute of tents, except six at 



SCOUT AND SPY. 277 

headquarters, and tlie men slept at night without 
shelter. 

About nine o'clock in the evening, I laid down on 
a pile of corn in the husk, in company with a lot of 
soldiers, and feigned to be asleep. I reflected upon 
my situation, and of the best means of making my 
escape. I was satisfied that it would be dangerous 
for me to wait till morning and start with the order- 
lies for General Johnston's headquarters. No sus'pi- 
cion had as yet been excited. The soldiers were all 
asleep, and the whole camp was quiet. About mid- 
night I got up, as if to relieve the necessities of na- 
ture, and went to a piece of woods about a hundred 
yards distant, and returned. My movements did not 
seem to have disturbed any one. The moon shone 
brightly, and the night was very light. The moon 
had not yet reached its meridian, but made a long 
shadow on the ground. I again laid down upon the 
corn-pile, where I lay until two o'clock, when I arose. 
The moon was then favorable and made but a short 
shadow, and everything was quiet. I again visited 
the woods. 

As I entered, I looked back and all was quiet. As 
the guards brought me in, I had noticed that there 
was but one picket-post in the direction that I wished 
to return, and that one was stationed in the road 
about half a mile from the rebel camp. I resolved to 
try an escape at all hazards. 

I made a detour large enough to insure safety from 
the pickets, moving forward as rapidly and noiseless- 
ly as possible through the brush, until I gained the 



278 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

road that I had come out on, and then I sped along 
as fast as I could run. 

I had on light shoes, and made very little noise as 
I went, and avoided stepping upon anything that 
would make any disturbance. 

When I reached the place in the road filled with 
rails and brush, near where I had been captured, I 
slackened my pace and walked carefully across it. I 
had become tired from running so far ; my close prox- 
imity to our own pickets considerably relieved my 
fears, and I moved along more leisurely than I had 
done. 

When about two hundred yards from the bad place 
in the road, I was startled by the sound of horses 
crossing it. I looked back, and saw that I was pur- 
sued by a squad of twelve or fourteen cavalry. 

I dashed ahead at the top of my speed, and when 
within about one hundred yards of the vedette-post, 
"Bang!" went the carbines of my pursuers. The 
vedettes ran for the reserve. I fairly flew along, 
and the rebs after me, gaining rapidly. I kept 
straight after the vedettes till I had entered the field 
past the hedge fence ; then I turned and followed it 
a few steps, and then plunged through it and crawled 
along on my hands and knees some distance in the 
weeds and grass by the side of it. 

My pursuers dashed on across the field, firing at 
the vedettes as they went. Tlie reserve was imme- 
diately in saddle, and returned the fire of the enemy. 
The chase now turned the other way, and the rebs 
were pursued by our pickets. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 279 

I kept on making a detour around to the rear of 
the reserve post before commg up, lest, from the con- 
fusion and excitement, I should again be fired at. 
Nearly all the reserve had joined in the chase, and 
but four men remained on the post. 

As I came up to the rear of them, without any 
challenge to halt, one of them fired at me. 

"Don't shoot! It is Bunker!" said the others. By 
this time they were convinced who it was, and al- 
lowed me to come up. 

The alarm did not stop with the pickets, but ex- 
tended across the river. An entire brigade turned 
out under arms, and orders were dispatched all along 
the lines to be in readiness to repel an attack from 
General Johnston. 

I requested to be immediately sent to General Oa- 
terhaus, under guard, agreeable to General Grant's 
instructions ; but the lieutenant refused to let me go 
until daylight, and then sent me in without guard. 

I reported to General Osterhaus, and explained to 
him where the rebel force was camped, and also its 
strength, and what it was there for. 

"Yare you stshay they are ? On the Baldwin's 
Ferr}^ road ?" inquired the General. 

"No; they are on the Fifteen-mile Creek road, 
near the crossing of the Edwards' Station and Bald- 
win's Ferry road." 

"Yell, dat ish vot I stshay! On the Baldwin's 
Ferry road !'' 

I then marked out the position for him, and ex- 
plained it, and still he insisted : 



280 THE GREAT AMERICAN" 

"Yell, dat isli vot I stshay! On the Baldwin's 
Ferry road !" 

He then telegraphed to General Grant as he un- 
derstood it, and received, in reply, orders for me to 
return immediately. 

I reported in person to General Grant, and told 
him the difficulty that I experienced in making 
General Osterhaus understand me. Pie replied, " I 
thought he did not understand you, so I ordered you 
back." 

After explaining to the General the position, 
strength, and object of the enemy, he asked me if I 
was sure of that fact. I told him that I was, and that 
time would show whether I told him the truth or not. 
He then said that he would rest satisfied ; so I re- 
turned to my quarters. The confidence he placed in 
my reports amply paid me for the danger that I had 
encountered. General Grant always paid his scouts 
well whenever they had done anything deserving of 
special compensation. To pay me for this trip, soon 
after the Yicksburg campaign ended, General Grant 
gave me two hundred dollars and a furlough for thirty 
days. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 281 



CHAPTER XXiy. 

Visit to Chickasaw Landing — Surrender of Vicksburg — Visit to the city — 
The paroled Major — The Yankee trick — Returns to Vicksburg — Made de- 
tective — Is sent to Yazoo City — Attends a guerrilla organization — Makes 
them a speech — Returns to Vicksburg. 

On the 3d clay of July, I again went to General 
Grant to see if he had found out where I could get 
some cartridges for my rifle. He told me that the 
Paj^master-General (I have forgotten his name,) had 
a rifle of the same kind and some cartridges, and 
that he made his headquarters on board the steamer 
J. D. Perry, at Chickasaw Landing. 

The general gave me a line to the paymaster, and 
I went over to the landing. When I arrived there, 
the steamers had nearly all gone down to Young's 
Point, and with them the J. D. Perry. It was near- 
ly night, and too late to return to camp, so I remained 
there all night with a sergeant from my own regi- 
ment, who was on detached duty there, in charge of 
the camp and garrison equipage belonging to the divi- 
sion. 

When I arose on the morning of July 4th, I found 
that all the steamers had left. A few hours later, the 
dispatch-boat Diligent came up, and brought the news 
that Yicksburg had surrendered. 

That accounted for the absence of the steamers. 



282 " THE GREAT AMERICAN 

A flag of truce had been sent into our lines on tlie 
afternoon of the 3d, before I left, but I had not heard 
that it was to arrange for the surrender of the 
place. 

"When the dispatch-boat returned, I went on it to 
Yicksburg. There the whole fleet of transports and 
gunboats, including the Marine Brigade, was moored, 
decorated with all their streamers and colors, and 
from the court-house dome proudl}^ floated the glorious 
emblem of our country. It was a grand and sublime 
spectacle. The levee and streets of the city were 
thronged with thousands of weather and war worn 
heroes, that had heroically suffered and fought for the 
capture of the place. 

It was a proud day for them, and their counte- 
nances beamed with such expressions of satisfaction 
and delight as only heroes can wear. 

The magnitude of their victory was proportionate 
to the day on which it was achieved, and such a cele- 
bration of our national anniversary was never before 
had, and probably never will be again. 

The sufferings and privations and hardships of long 
marches, and exposures and hard-fought battles and a 
long-continued siege, were all forgotten in the reali- 
zation of the most glorious victory that had ever 
crowned the arms of an American hero. 

Promiscuously mingled with the blue uniforms of 
the Federal soldiers was the dirty yellow of the Con- 
federate prisoners, and their filthy appearance and 
fear-worn faces were in striking contrast with their 
elated victors. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 283 

The magnitude of the victory may be seen in the 
official reports of the war. 

Bunker^ s Fird Speech, in. front of the Court-honse in 
Vickshurg, after the surrender, July Ath, 1864. 

The troops, overwhelmed with joy at the surrender 
of the place, were wild with enthusiasm, and in the 
midst of this general jubilee they said : 

"Bunker, can't you give us your ideas of the sur- 
render in a speech?" 

"Yes," said I, and springing upon a box began as 
follows : 

" Soldiers of the Army of the Tennessee, I congratu- 
late you upon your overwhelming success. Scarcely 
had our flag floated to the breeze on the capitol of the 
Mississippi, Avhen we sprang to the call of our noble 
commander, rushed upon the defiant columns of 
Champion Hills, driving them in dismay across the Big- 
Black, within their stronghold at Yicksburg. There 
with rifle-pit and battery, there with trench and 
mine, by night and by day, till almost overcome with 
latiguc, driven to despair, on this memorable day of 
our national independence, Yicksburg, with 31,000. 
lighting men, has surrendered to the iuvincibles of 
the Army of the Tennessee." 

Here the crowd became so dense, and the shouts 
drowning the voice of the speaker, the speech was 
brought to an abrupt close. 

I found the Paymaster-General at Yicksburg, and 
succeeded in getting from him a box of cartridges^ 

n* 



284 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

Not liking to remain in the place while the prisoners 
were there, lest some of them might, at some future 
time, recognize me, should I be so unfortunate as to 
get captured, I told General Grant how I felt about 
it, and he sent me to my regiment, then at Black 
River, to stay until the prisoners were sent away. 

A few days after the surrender, the prisoners were 
all paroled, and then marched through our lines at 
Black River. While they were passing our camp, I 
kept out of sight, by remaining in my quarters. The 
second day after the prisoners commenced to pass out 
on parole, and the brigade had halted to rest, a rebel 
major came along and dismounted, and sat down appa- 
rently to rest, holding his horse by the halter. It was 
soon evident, from his numerous inquiries, that rest 
was not so much his object as contraband information. 
His horse was a nice one, and was equipped with a 
fine saddle and bridle, and across his saddle was a 
portmanteau. 

A soldier of the 30th Illinois Regiment came to 
my quarters, and requested me to go out and see the 
major and converse with him. He also told me that 
the major was trying to get information from the sol- 
diers that he had no business with, and that if I would 
succeed in holding his attention, the bo3^s would play 
some kind of a caper upon him for his improper in- 
quisitiveness. 

I went out, and found him engaged in trying to 
find out the strength of General Grant's army. As 
I came up I squatted right down in front of him, and 
commenced to ask him questions about how he liked 



SCOUT AND SPY. 285 

the siege, etc. ; then, fixing my eyes on his, I gave 
him a severe rebnke for participating in such an un- 
just cause, and tried to show him its utter hopeless- 
ness. I then spoke of the blessings of peace, pros- 
perit}^, and happiness, as they had existed under our 
government before the war, and then contrasted that 
state of affairs with the existing state of things in the 
rebellious States, and concluded by telling him that 
any man who had been guilty of raiding his hand 
against the best government that ever existed, ought 
to be satisfied with his experience, and be heartily 
ashamed of himself. 

As I began to talk, the soldiers began to gather in 
a crowd around us. I suspected that some of them 
would cut the halter-strap and lead the horse off into 
the woods, before the croAvd would open sufficiently 
for the major to see which way it went. 

Whenever the major showed any inclination to 
look behind him, I would become emphatic in my ex- 
pressions and gesticulations, and look so earnestly at 
him that I kept his attention riveted upon me. While 
I was talking the portmanteau was opened, and a 
beautiful silver-mounted ten-shooting revolver taken 
out and carried off. 

When I had finished, the crowd dispersed, and the 
major prepared to leave. In doing so he discovered 
that his revolver Avas gone. He told me about it, 
and described the revolver, and said that it must 
have been taken while I had been talking with 
him. 

He went to Brigadier-General Force, commanding 



286 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

the Brigade, and complained that while he was rest- 
ing, somebody stole his revolver. 

The General immediately issued an order requiring 
all the company commanders in the brigade to search 
the men of their commands at once for the revolver, 
but it was without success. 

The Major told the General that one of the men 
standing by was called by the name of Bunker ; con- 
sequently, I was sent for. 

"Do you know who got this man's revolver?" in- 
quired the General of me, as I went in. 

"No, sir. I did not see his revolver, and did not 
know that he had one until he told me that some one 
had stolen it." 

'■ Do you know what regiment the man belonged 
to that took it?" 

"No, sir, I do not! But 1 did think that the 
Major was asking very improper questions for a paroled 
prisoner to ask, and I expected, while I was talking 
to him, that the boys would take horse and all, and I 
think he may feel tlumhful if he hasn't lost anything 
but his revolver ! '' 

" That will do ! " said the General ; "you can go to 
your quarters, Major, I don't see as I can do any 
thing for you ! '' 

When the prisoners had all crossed Black River, 
I returned to Yicksburg. On my return I chanced 
to meet Major-G eneral Logan, who wished me to 
engage in the detective business, the same as I had 
done at Memphis. I told him that I did not like the 
business and did not understand it, and that I did not 



SCOUT AND SPY. 287 

see anything brave or daring in it, and that it seemed 
like rather a low business. He, however, insisted 
npon my taking hold of it, and gave me an order to 
go on board the steamer Swan to board, so that I 
might pass as a citizen without being suspicioned. 

I boarded there three days, at the end of which 
time I was so completely disgusted with, the business 
that I could not do anything at it, even if I had 
wanted to. I then went to General Grant, and told 
him what General Logan had set me at, and that I 
did not like it, and asked him if he had a trip that 
he wanted made into the Confederacy. He replied 
that he had none of much importance, but that I 
might make a trip to Yazoo City, if I was a mind to, 
and see if anything was going on there, and gather 
what information I could. 

The Federal forces had, since the surrender of Yicks- 
burg, already taken the place, and captured such pub- 
lic stores as were movable, and destroyed the rest 
and vacated it. 

I made the trip on horseback, dressed like a citi- 
zen. The route was rather a lonesome one, and 
nothing occurred of interest on my way out. On my 
arrival at Yazoo City, I found cverj^thing quiet, and 
the place unoccupied by troops. 

I then crossed the Yazoo River to the west, and 
visited the neighborhood of Silver Creek, at a point 
eighteen miles from Yazoo City. There I learned 
that a band of guerrillas, known as the Silver Creek 
Guerrillas, were to have a meeting the next day, at 
a log church, about six miles distant to the south- 



288 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

west, to reorganize their band, so as to make them- 
selves more efficient. Thinking that I might learn 
something of them that might be of service, I deter- 
mined to attend the meeting. 

The next morning T started in the direction of the 
church alone, but had gone only a short distance 
when I was joined by six citizens, on horseback, go- 
ing to the same place. We arrived at the church 
about ten o'clock A. M., and found the meeting al- 
ready commenced. I walked in with those that had 
accompanied me and sat down, a listener to their 
proceedings. 

Remarks were made by several individuals, and I 
learned by them that the band had become disorgan- 
ized and ineffective by the slackness of the members 
in turning out. Many of them had failed to report 
for duty when ordered, and some of them had never 
reported at all. A great deal was said about what 
valuable services might be rendered by a well-organ- 
ized band, and appeals were made to the patriotism 
of each individual present " to stand by the South in 
the hour of her trial, and let the world at large 
know that the people of the South were determined 
in their purpose, and would fight for her liberties until 
relieved from the thraldom of a Lincoln tyranny." 

Each man present was invited to express his views 
on the matter, and I, in turn, was called upon. To 
kill all chances of suspicion that might occur from my 
presence, I responded to the invitation. I said to 
them that I was a stranger to all of them. I told 
them that I belonged to Daniel's guerrillas, at Somer- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 289 

villo, Tennessee, and I knew from experience that a 
well-organized band could make itself of great ser- 
vice to the Government, and that I felt it was the 
duty of every individual in the Confederacy to put 
forth his best efforts, without regard to cost or sacri- 
fice, to sustain the Government and establish our lib- 
erty. Our band, I told them, intended to live on the 
Lincoln army, and we kept close to it, and frequently 
got inside of the Yankee lines and got valuable infor- 
mation ; and sometimes we captured prisoners, and 
horses, and mules, and we calculated not only to do 
service to the Government, but to make it pay us, 
and I hoped that the people of that neighborhood 
were as patriotic as they were in mine. 

The meeting resulted in the reorganization of the 
band, with eighty members. 

It has often been reported that citizens of the South 
who had taken the oath of allegiance to the Federal 
Government, were subject to abuse and cruel treat- 
ment by guerrillas and soldiers of the Confederate 
army ; but in that meeting several of the members 
said that they had taken the oath, and had done it 
because compelled to do it, and it was not spoken of 
as an offence nor regarded as an obligation. 

I had hoped that, in attending the meeting I would 
be enabled to learn of some intended raid or cam- 
paign, but none was spoken of, and probably none 
contemplated by the band at that time. 

About one o'clock P. M. the meeting closed, and I 
resumed my way back. Two days after I arrived at 
Yicksburg, and reported to General Grant. 
13 



290 'ITIE GREAT AMERICAN 



CHAPTER XXV. 

Taken sick •with the ague — Encounters his Satanic Majesty — The Devil 
afraid of General Grant — Expedition to Bogue Chitto Creek — Captures 
a rebel Colonel — Enlists as a veteran — Makes a speech to the soldiers. 

From the time tliat I finished my trip to Yazoo City 
until the next November I had but very little to do, 
and nothing occurred of interest in my experience as 
a scout. About this time I was taken with the three- 
day ague, which troubled me more or less for a whole 
year. At times, when the " shakes" would leave me 
and the fever come on, I would have dreams or vis- 
ions of a delirious character. I usually fancied my- 
self engaged in some fearful and desperate encounter 
with the rebels. My fancies were audibly uttered, 
and to-day are as distinctly visible to my mind as 
though they were realities of yesterday. Indeed, 
they seemed like actual experience. In those deli- 
rious hours, officers and soldiers would visit me, to 
listen to my utterances of what was passing before me. 

On one occasion, I fancied that I died and went 
to hell. There I found, in one corner of the infernal 
regions, an inclosure of several acres, filled with 
Federal soldiers. They were suffering intensely for 
want of sufficient water. A small rivulet made its 
way down a little hollow across the inclosure, but the 
stream was so small that its supply aggravated rather 



SCOUT AND SPY. 291 

than diminislicd the thirst of the soldiers. Having 
placed me in the inclosure, the devil started back to 
earth after more soldiers. After a careful examina- 
tion of the locality, I concluded that I could relieve 
very much of the suffering by damming up tlie 
stream. I set to work at once making a dam, and, 
by the time the devil made his appearance, I had 
succeeded in raising the water to a depth of four 
feet. 

•'Have you come here to interfere with my ar- 
rangements ?" inquired the devil, angry at what I had 
done. 

"No, sir ; but I thouorht I would build a dam here 
and have as much water in it as there is in some 
parts of the Mississippi." 

Whereupon the devil picked up a big cannon and 
punched a hole through it, which let the water out. 
Just then a twenty-two inch shell came into the in- 
closure, and exploded with a tremendous crash, com- 
pletely enveloping us with the smoke. As it cleared 
away, two persons were seen coming through the re- 
gions of space directly toward the inclosure. The 
quick eye of his Satanic Majesty was the lirst to 
catch sight of them. 

"Who are these?" he inquired. "Isn't one of 
them General G-rant?" 

" Yes," I replied ; "that man in citizen's clothes is 
General Grant, and the man in uniform is General 
McPherson." 

"I believe 'that is Grant," he said, after a more 
careful look. 



292 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

"Yes, that's Grant." 

"Then I must light out of this !" and away he went 
as fast as possible. 

I told my dream to General Grant. He has 
asked me several times since if I had had any more 
dreams. 

In the month of November, General McPherson 
made a demonstration with 14,000 men toward Can- 
ton, Miss., to draw the attention of the rebs while 
General Sherman, with his command, was moving 
from Memphis eastward to Chattanooga. 

At Brownsville we came upon a small force of rebs, 
who undertook to check our advance, but we drove 
them from their position. The next day, at Bogue 
Chitto Creek, they made another stand, but were 
again driven from their position. General John A. 
Logan then sent me out to the front of our right to 
watch the movements of the enemy, and see which 
way they went. I was accompanied by a scout by 
the name of James E. Bader. About a mile out we 
left our horses under cover of the woods, and then, 
by ourselves, we ascended a rise of ground that en- 
abled us to see the course the enemy had taken. 
While we w^re thus engaged in watching, we saw a 
man leave the rebel forces and ride toward a house 
that stood near by. As he neared us, we saw that he 
had on the uniform of a rebel colonel. He unsad- 
dled the horse at the house and then led it away to 
the stable, and then returned to the house. We then 
went to our horses, mounted, and rode to the house, 
dismounted and went in. We found but one man in 



SCOUT AND SPY. 293 

the house, who said, " Grood-morning ! You gave 
the Johnnies a good fleecing this morning !" 

"Yes,' said I, "we fleeced the Johnnies. But 
where is your uniform ?" 

"I ha'n't got a uniform, boys. I am no secesh. I 
have always been a good Union man." 

We then searched the house for the saddle and 
uniform, which we found hid under the floor. 

" What uniform is this?" said I, hauling it up from 
its hiding-place. 

" It belongs to one of the boarders." 

"It's my opinion that the boarder's clothes will 
just fit you. Take off the clothes you have on and 
put on these, and do it quick, too." 

"I declare, gentlemen, that's not my uniform." 

"No matter ; you must put it on and see how it 
fits." 

" Jiminy-pult !" said Bader, brandishing his revol- 
ver ; "put tliis uniform on in a hurry, or we'll help 
you !" 

"No more excuses," said I. "It a'n't but a few 
minutes since we saw you have it on." 

The colonel reluctantly changed his former dress 
for the uniform. "There — your military clothes fit 
well. Now go with us." 

Bader saddled the horse and brought it to the 
door, when we made him mount and go back with us 
to General Logan. I told him the course the enemy 
had taken, and how we had captured the colonel. 

I returned, accompanied by my partner, to the 
colonel's house, where we found a nice flock of tur- 



204 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

keys. Knowing that officers were fond of turke3''S, I 
called a dog that was lying in the yard and set him 
to work. In a few minutes w^e captured six nice 
ones, which we carried to the general. 

" Here, Colonel," said Logan, showing the turkeys 
to the prisoner, '' you shall have a nice supper in the 
Federal fortress. Boys, have you got any for your- 
selves ?" 

"No, sir." 

' Here, take these" (handing me two of them). 

They made the company an excellent supper ; but 
whether the colonel relished his own turkeys, and 
himself a prisoner, I am not so sure. The next day 
I was laid up with the ague, and was not able to scout 
any more during that expedition. 

In the month of December, 1863, the re-enlisting 
of soldiers as veterans commenced in my regiment. 
I at once re-enlisted, and set about using my influ- 
ence to persuade others to do so. This*I did gener- 
ally by private conversation. Ont3e more Bunker was 
called upon to make a speech, of which the following 
is what he had to say : 

'• Fellow-soldiers and comrades in arms : It is with 
feelings of pride that I attempt to address you — 
pride because it is not often that an occasion offers for 
one to address a body of men whose deeds of valor 
have called forth such praise and such rejoicings as 
yours have done. Ay ! I am proud that I have been 
a comrade in arms with you in such struggles as Don- 
elson, Shiloh, Champion Hills, and Yicksburg. Such 
victories attest that you have done your duty well, 



SCOUT AND SPY. 295 

and tlio glory is yours. Your country appreciates 
the value of such men, and, because of it, she now 
asks that you and I stand by that tattered flag for 
three years more. AVe know how it came by those 
shreds, and, as we gaze upon it, our hearts swell big 
with emotion in the recollection of the scenes through 
which we have passed. It is our blood that has spat- 
tered it, and our arms that have borne it and won for 
it glory. You know, by experience, the lot of the 
soldier. Your faces are bronzed in the service, and 
many of jou. bear scars from the battles that you've 
fought, mementoes of which your children and chil- 
dren's children will be proud to speak when you are 
ifud away in the hero's grave. 

" Our regiment has already taken part in nine bat- 
tles and several severe skirmishes. In addition to my 
services as a scout and spy, I have taken part in all 
of them but one, and that was missed because I was 
sick and unable for duty. But, as much privation 
and hardships as I have experienced, and as much 
danger as I have been exposed to, I cannot turn a 
deaf ear to the call of my country. 

" Living and mingling, as I have, with the people 
of the South, and being with them at the time the 
war commenced, I Avas able to discern, with approxi- 
mate correctness, the gigantic proportions of the re- 
bellion. I well knew the feelings that had impelled 
them, and the obstinate and reckless determination 
with which they would hold out against the attempt of 
the Federal Government to bring them into subjection. 

" In responding to the call of my country to sus- 



296 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

tain her noble prestige and glor}^, I had well counted 
the cost of the sacrifice that I was about to make : 
and, contrary to the general expectation of a large 
proportion of those that volunteered, I had no idea 
that the rebellion would be put down in a few months, 
but expected that years must elapse before our coun- 
try would be restored to its former proportions, peace, 
and prosperit}^ 

' ' Two years and a half have already passed since 
the first shot was fired at that star-spangled banner 
by the hands of traitors who had been reared under 
its protecting folds. 

"During that period, thousands of patriotic hearts, 
that beat with love for their country, have ceased their 
pulsations in the noble effort to crush the traitorous 
arm that was raised against the most glorious struc- 
ture of human liberty. 

"Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, wives 
and sweethearts have mourned the loss of the noble 
fallen. 

" Some of the heroes of this war have dragged out 
a lingering, distressing existence by disease, breath- 
ing the hero's prayer as they closed their eyes in 
death. Others have died amid the clash of arms and 
the din of battle ; others, smitten down by the hand 
of the foe, have spent days of horrible agony, with- 
out food, water, or shelter, and then — died, glorious 
martyrs of liberty, on the field where they fell. 

" Still the Avar continues, and the distant boom of 
cannon announces that more martyrs are being sac- 
rificed, and other hearts are being broken. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 297 

"The page of history will never reveal the anguish 
and suffering caused by this unholy rebellion. 

"The fond father and mother, who have invoked 
the blessing of Heaven upon their heroic son, as he 
was about to leave thcni to encounter the hardships, 
privations, and sufferings of the warrior, will never 
know the sufferings which that loved one has endured ; 
nor will the loved one know the intense anxiety and 
the agony of the broken hearts of those aged parents, 
until they meet in the blissful bowers of a patriot and 
hero. 

"No pen can ever portray the sighs and anguish of 
the devoted wife and tender children, whose husband 
and father, their solace and support, has been smitten 
down by the hand of the foe. 

" It has been my lot and pleasure to be a comrade 
and a sharer with those that have thus freely suffered 
and bled to perpetuate the blessings of liberty ; and 
I can testify that there has been no hardship so great, 
no suffering so intense, no death so horrible as to ef- 
face the calm smiles of satisfaction and love from the 
face of the war-wrinkled hero, as he closed his eyes 
in death, with his last lingering look upon the flag of 
his country. 

" Notwithstanding the many narrow escapes and 
perilous adventures and sufferings that I have expe- 
rienced, from long marches and from sickness, and 
from exposure to the weather by sleeping upon the 
ground, unsheltered by blanket or cover, during my 
travels as a scout ; and, notwithstanding the dangers 
I have experienced upon the field of battle, amid the 



298 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

roar of musketry and tlie crash of artillery, and the 
groans of my mangled comrades, wounded and dying, 
as they lay weltering in pools of blood, I prize my 
country no less than I did two years and a half ago, 
and my heart beats with the same patriotism that 
first prompted me to raise my arm in defence of the 
Union. 

" So long as an armed traitor shall be found in re- 
bellion against the government, I shall continue my 
career as a soldier. I cannot leave the field until 
this rebellion is crushed. 

"The spirits of my fallen comrades are hovering 
about me, and beckoning me on to avenge their suf- 
ferings and our insulted flag ; and it seems to me 
their mouldering bodies would turn over in disgust in 
the graves that inclose them, were I to leave the lau- 
rels that we have so gallantly won to the uncertainty 
of strange hands. Come, then, to the rescue ! 

"Your fathers and mothers, your wives and sweet- 
hearts, and all your loved ones at home, will cheer 
you on in the noble course. Their thanksgivings and 
prayers are already encircling the throne of God in 
your behalf; and when you return to your homes, 
their kind hands will place garlands of flowers upon 
your heads as crowns of glory that you have won. 
Cast your eyes upon the sacred emblem of our coun- 
try — to the flag which you have followed to the field 
of blood, and around which you have rallied in the 
din of battle, and beneath which your brave comrades 
have fallen, and remember the glorious victories that 
you have won, and that a nation's gratitude is yours. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 299 

" March bravcl}^ on, as joii have already done, 
winning victory after victory, and but a few months 
more will elapse till 3^ou have planted the stars and 
stripes in every nook and corner of the rebellious 
States. 

"Then will peace, happiness, and prosperity shed 
their effulgent rays over all the land, and j'ou will re- 
turn to your homes, enshrouded with glory, to meet 
the warm embrace of friends, knowing that you have 
a country, and that a free country." 



300 THE GREAT AMERICAN 



CHAPTER XXYI. 

Frightened by a dead Colonel — Burns Confederate corn in face of the 
enemy — Gets into a tight place — A frightened Major — Captures infor- 
mation — A headstrong Captain gobbled uj) — Captures a rebel Provost- 
marshal General — Encounter with General Ross' s cavalry — A strange 
adventure — Races with a rebel Colonel — A hard-hearted woman. 

The next service that I performed was in tbe 
month of February, 1864. It was in that month that 
General Sherman made what is known as the "Meri- 
dian raid." I accompanied the expedition. The 
second day out from Yicksburg, Greneral McPherson 
sent me to watch the movements of Wirt Adams, who 
was hovering about our right flank with 1,500 caval- 
ry. I found a movement in progress to attack the 
ordnance and supply train, which I reported in 
time to prevent ; it was handsomely effected by the 
11th Illinois Cavalry. At night the army halted at 
Bear Creek. 

There an incident occurred that I can never for- 
get. I expected to go home with my regiment on 
veteran furlough as soon as the campaign that we 
were then on was completed. I had felt desirous of 
procuring a complete Confederate colonel's uniform 
to take home with me. I had already secured every- 
thing except a coat. When I had completed my 
day's ride, and secured my horse for the night, it was 
nine o'clock Passing along the line to find Sergeant 



SCOUT AND SPY. 301 

Downs, I met a soldier, who said, " Bunker, didn't I 
liear you say that you wanted a rebel colonel's 
coat ?" 

"Yes." 

"There Avas a rebel colonel killed on the skirmish 
line in front to-day." 

" Was there ! Where is he ?"' 

"Go np to the ditch yonder, to the left, till you 
come to the end of it ; then take a hollow that leads 
away to your left. The first body that you come to 
is a dsead private ; the next is that of a colonel." 

The night was very dark, but my desires to obtain 
the coat were so strong that they overcame all fear, 
so I started out. I found the hollow described with 
less difficulty than I had expected. Coming to the 
dead private, I said, " Grood-evening, Johnnie ! you'll 
get cold there, won't you ?" A few steps further 
brought me to another body. " Good-evening, Colo- 
nel !" said I. He made no reply. I continued : 
" You are going down below, where it is warm, and 
when we get back from this raid I am going up north, 
where it is cold ; you have got a good coat and I want 
it. Since it is so warm down where you are going 
that you don't need it, what objection can you have 
to my taking it ?" 

The colonel made no reply. 

" Well, colonel, they say silence gives consent, so I 
guess I'll take it." 

He lay on his back, with his feet crossed, and one 
arm lying across his breast. His boots were already 
gone. Taking hold of his arm and raising it up, I 



302 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

found that it was limber. Said I, " You haven't had 
your furlough long, have you, Colonel?" He made 
no reply. I set the bod}^ up, and got down upon my 
knees in front of it, and commenced to take off the 
coat. A gasp and a convulsive spring forward 
lu'ought the colonel's open mouth suddenly against 
my face. Unearthly horror seized me ; with one 
bound I was on mv feet, and the next thins; that I 
knew I was in camp. To say that I was frightened 
is no description of my feelings. Had a demon from 
the infernal regions placed his gnashing jaws against 
my face, I could not have been more horrified. I 
covered myself in my blankets, and cold tremors 
crept over me for hours after. Every attempt to 
court sleep would force through my mind a vivid rec- 
ollection of every mean thing that I had ever done, 
followed by all the stories of ghosts and hobgoblins 
that I had ever heard. I have had no desire since to 
obtain a rebel colonel's coat. 

The next morning the march was resumed. Noth- 
ing of particular interest occurred, save the usual 
skirmishing, foraging, and burning consequent upon 
such expeditions, for several daj^s. After we had 
crossed Pearl River, I was kept constantly on the 
flanks, scouting. I usually had a squad of men with 
me. At Jonesboro I was sent out on the left flank, 
with a squad of eight men. A few miles out from 
Jonesboro, the road leading to Hillsboro forks. The 
straight and most direct road leads through seven 
miles of swamp, and is known as the "lower road." 
The right-hand road leads to the south, around the 



A«J 



SCOUT AND SPY. 303 

swamp, and is called the "upper road." The latter 
was the one taken by the arni}^ in its route to Hills- 
boro. When I left the troops in the morning, I did 
not knoAY that there was more than one road leading 
to that place. The consequence was, I kept to the 
left of the lower road, which carried me entirely too 
far from the main force of the army for safety. 

After travelling about eight miles, Ave came to a 
cross-road. Our course, thus flir, had not been con- 
lined to any road, but lay across the lields. As we 
came to the cross-road we emerged from a piece of 
woodland. Half a mile beyond ns was a double log- 
house and several large rail-pens, which we saw was 
filled with Confederate corn. Three hundred yards 
to the left of the corn we discovered a camp of two 
regiments of rebel cavalry. These we tried to clear, 
by filing to the right and keeping along in the timber 
to the west of the road. Less than a hundred j^ards 
brought us to a small stream of water, whose banks 
were lined with a dense growth of alders. The 
stream, after crossing the road, made its way along to 
within fifty yards of the corn-crib. Taking advan- 
tage of the cover afforded by the alders, one of my 
party, James E. Bader, waded down the shallow 
stream until opposite the cribs, and then, under cover 
of the cribs, made his way to them and set them on 
lire, and then retraced his steps. 

Two miles further south, we came to a planter's 
house, where I found a table spread for eighteen pei-- 
sons, and fried sausage figured extensively in the 
meal, which was then nearly prepared. 



304 THE GREAT AMERICAN" 

''You've got the table set for some Johnnies, I 
reckon," said I to the planter. 

" No, sir ; for none but our own family." 

" I reckon you have ; I'll go out and stand picket 
while my men come in and confiscate the meal." As 
I was about to step behind an ash-house that stood in 
the yard, the old man, who had followed me out, 
stepped up to me and begged of me not to go there. 
Said he, " If you do j^ou will surely get shot." 

" You want to frighten the men away from that 
sausage," said I, still determined to go there. 

"No," said he, "I have never seen a man shot, 
and I don't want to see you shot in my own yard ; 
you will certainly get shot if you go there. If you 
want to stand picket at all, go up into my garret and 
watch from the window." 

The old man turned so pale and looked so much 
in earnest, that I concluded to take his advice. In- 
stead of going into the front door I went round to the 
back door : both doors were open. In the front end 
of the hall sat the planter's daughter, waving a white 
handkerchief, and in the field beyond, not more than 
three hundred yards distant, I saw a line of Johnnies 
coming, hiding their approach as much as they could 
hj intervening objects. I said to the boys, " Grab 
the sausage, kick over the table, and be off, for the rebs 
are on us." We took to the trees, when quite a live- 
ly skirmish ensued, which lasted for several minutes. 
The rebs then took to their horses, evidently bent on 
intercepting our retreat on the cross-road. As soon 
as they were out of sight, we started across the fields 



SCOUT AND SPY. 305 

in their rear, and bent our course for the ' ' lower 
Hillsboro" road, which proved to be about a mile 
distant. There were eighteen of the rebs, and they 
had evidently been watching the "lower road" for 
forage parties. We had been coming up in their 
rear until we stopped to confiscate the sausage. On 
reaching the road, I found that the troops had not 
passed that way, and consequently must have taken 
some other. The fact now flashed upon my mind 
that we were much further from our command than 
we had' any idea of. 

There was a brick church at the corner of the 
road. I got the bo^'s into that as quick as possible, 
and ordered them to knock out the windows. While 
they were preparing for defence, I stood in the road 
and watched. While the boys were getting ready, a 
lieutenant and a private of the Federal Signal Corps 
came up, each armed with revolvers, and soon after 
several infantry soldiers, that had strayed away from 
their commands, came in sight. I hurried them up, 
and had hardly got them into the church when a par- 
ty of rebs made their appearance. We opened on them 
lively, and killed two of their number and wounded 
others, which caused them to clear out and leave us. 
I knew it would not do to stay there long, so we " lit 
out" to find the army, taking the cross-road to the 
south. Being mounted, I rode on ahead, until I came 
to the upper road. The 16th Corps had just passed, 
and the 17th was just coming into sight. In a few 
minutes General McPherson and staff came up, and 
wanted to know what the firino; was about. I re- 



306 TUE GREAT AMERICAN 

ported the situation of affairs. Just then two of my 
squad, who had brought up the rear at a distance of 
three hundred yards behind the rest, came up on the 
run, with information that two regiments of rebel 
cavalry were coming. The General ordered a brig- 
ade of infantry into position on a double-quick. They 
were hardly in line before the rebs commenced firing. 
A lively engagement ensued, which lasted about thirty 
minutes, and resulted in a handsome defeat of the enemy. 

A march of three days more brought us to Deca- 
tur, Miss. The 16th Army Corps passed on beyond 
the place to encamp for the night. As the rear of 
their supply train was passing out of the place it was 
attacked, and one man and twenty-six mules were 
killed. The 17th Corps encamped for the -night at 
Decatur. The next morning Greneral Leggett sent 
me out on a road running south from the place, to as- 
certain whether there was a rebel force near. I had 
only gone half a mile before I discovered at a short 
distance ahead of me, a squad of seven mounted rebels 
at their picket-post. As soon as they saw me they 
came into line of attack. 

Wheeling my horse, I motioned with my right hand 
for them not to shoot, and with my left for them to 
come on up. About twenty feet brought me out of 
their sight behind the brush, and putting spurs to my 
horse I rode to camp. 

I reported the fact to General Leggett, and as I was 
passing the first line of our troops. Major Fry, of the 
20th Ohio, said to me, * ' Bunker, what is out there ?" 

"There are rebs out there.'' 



SCOUT AND SPY. 307 

"How for?" 

"Not more than half a mile." 

"Pshaw! Bunker, jou must be mistaken; there 
can't be rebs that near/' 

" Perhaps 3'ou had better go and see if you don't 
believe it." 

The Major mounted his black stallion and went 
out. The road was crooked, and lined on both sides 
with a heavy growth of pine underbrush, so that it 
Avas impossible to see for. Pie hadn't been gone long 
enough to have rode half a mile, when he was seen 
coming back, Avith his horse under full spur, and at its 
utmost speed, with hat in hand, shouting at the top of 
his voice, " Fall in ! Fall in !" From the Major's ac- 
tions, the regiment supposed that a large force of 
rebels were about to attack us. The troops instantly 
fell in, when a company was sent out to find the cause 
of alarm, and discovered seven men that had given 
chase to the Major. Officers sometimes get frightened 
as well as enlisted men. 

General Leggett then gave me a squad of tWenty- 
six men, and sent me out on a road to the southeast 
of the town. Two miles out I saw a citizen fleeing 
from his house to the woods, as if alarmed at our ap- 
proach. I gave chase and soon caught up with him. 
Brandishing my revolver, I said to him, "Daddy, 
3'ou have got to tell me one thing, or I will kill you 
right here ; now tell me tlie truth." 

"Well, what is it?" 

" "Where were you going, and what were you going 
for?" 



308 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

"There are six hundred State militia down in the 
woods, about three-quarters of a mile from here. I 
was afraid of jon all, and I was going down there for 
protection." 

" You belong to them, I suppose ?'' 

"No, sir." 

* ' What are the militia doing there V' 

" They are going to attack your supply train." 

"That's a fact, is it?" 

" Yes, and they are going to do it right quick." 

" It was the militia that killed the mules last night, 
I suppose." 

"No, it was the citizens of the town." 

"Did you have a hand in it?" 

"No, sir, but my brother did. I'll tell you how it 
was done. Before the Yankee force came up, the 
citizens of the town met on the public square, and 
joined hands around the Confederate pole, with the 
Confederate colors flying, and swore b}^ Almighty 
God that they would resist the march of the Yan- 
kees through the place, or every man would die in 
the attempt. As soon as the Yankee advance made 
its appearance, they all fled to the woods. As the 
rear of the train came up, they rallied and made the 
attack ; but as soon as they saw other troops coming, 
they again fled." 

I returned to G-eneral Leggett to report the infor- 
mation that I had gained. I found him still in Deca- 
tur, superintending the departure of troops. The 
train was already moving out. I told him Avhat was 
up. Said he, " They dare not attack it ; and if they 



SCOUT AND SPY. 309 * 

do, there ain't enough of them to wake up one side 
of if' 

" I don't say, General, they will capture the train, 
but they will attack it." 

In about twenty minutes the crack of rifles was 
heard, which increased in frequency until the firing 
was quite lively. 

" They are at it, I gtiess," said the General. " I 
must see about that." So out we went to the scene 
of action. The guards were doing bravely, but the 
presence of the General inspired them with new 
courage, and they pitched into the militia like so 
many tigers, and whipped them without any re-en- 
forcements to assist them. 

Some think it absolutely necessary in a battle to 
have commissioned officers to give command, but 
here was a desperate fight, aiid a glorious victory, 
and not a commissioned officer within half a mile dur- 
ing the engagement. 

Shortly after the foregoing event, I met two mem- 
bers of the 78th Ohio, who had been out on the left 
flank in search of supplies. They found a house oc- 
cupied by an old" lady and two daughters. They said 
they had enjoyed themselves finely ; had had a good 
dinner, and had been invited to dine with them again 
the next day. 

I says, " Boys, will you accept their invitation?" 

" Certainly," said they. 

"Well, then, that will be the last of you, unless 
some one goes with you." 

" Will you go with us ?" said they. 



310 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

" I will," said I, " if I can take a squad of men with 
me." 

Said I, '' Boys, now you must face the music." 

"0 yes, well do that.'' 

"All right. Well start to-morrow morning." 

The next day we started on our trip. 

When we reached the place, I told the boys to go 
in and see to the dinner. I took twenty-six of my 
men and formed them in three companies, so that we 
could see the movements at the house. Soon I saw 
a girl come to the door of the house and wave her 
handkerchief toward a piece of woods. Out came 
six rebel soldiers and rode up to the house, dis- 
mounted and went in. By a flourish of my revolver 
I gave the command to my men to come up and 
surround the house. I dismounted and went into the 
door. They said, "Come in, Mr. Yank, we'll take 
you, too." 

" Dismount, boys, and come in, the Johnnies want 
you in here." 

Twenty-seven of us rushed in, and the rebels in 
surprise said to the girl, " What does this mean?" 

She said, " I didn't know that there was but two." 

They had already robbed the boys of their money, 
linger rings, &c., so we in return took the money and 
rings, with their horses and other valuables, and 
marched them into camp, not waiting for dinner. 

At Meridian, General McPherson sent me out alone 
to hunt up a grist-mill that was suitable to grind corn 
for the army. It was rendered necessary because of 
our having advanced into the enemy's country one 

10^- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 311 

hundred and fifty miles from our base of supplies, 
which compelled us to subsist upon the products of 
the country. 

Two miles out from Meridian I found a mill, but it 
needed some repairs. The man who kept it told mc 
that there was another mill six miles further down the 
stream that was in good running order. I went out 
to find it, but had gone only about a mile, when I 
discovered rebel forces, both of infantr}^ and caval- 
ry. From appearances, I judged them to be quite 
strong. I then retraced my steps toward camp. On 
my way I met a captain, with a detail of forty men, 
going after forage. I advised him to go back. I told 
him the strength of their forces, and that if he under- 
took to go on the rebs would gobble him up. He in- 
sisted upon having his own way, and went on. Two 
men of Company K, of the 17th Illinois Infantry, 
who knew me, heard what I said to the captain, and, 
not liking very well to be captured, fell back a short 
distance to the rear of the squad, and watched the 
motion of things. The result was the captain and 
his men were surprised and all gobbled up without 
firing a shot or making any resistance, except the 
two that fell back, and they made a narrow es- 
cape. 

After leaving the captain, I hurried back and 
reported to General McPherson, who sent out a 
force of cavalry as quickly as possible to suj^port 
the captain, or release him if captured. The 
assistance, however, was too late. The rebs had 
departed with their prisoners. , 



312 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

We staid at Meridian two days, which we spent 
in gathering supplies and devastating the country. 

The object of the raid Avas to impoverish the coun- 
tr}^ as much as possible, and it was successfully 
accomplished. The destruction of property could 
not have been more complete. At the expiration of 
two days the army retraced its way eighteen miles, 
and then made another halt of two days, to rest the 
teams. 

From that place, Colonel Potts, of the o2d Ohio 
Infantry (since a Brevet Major-Greneral), in com- 
mand of the Ohio Brigade, was sent with fifty-six 
wagons to the north of our line of march after supplies. 

I went with him. Pie ordered me to ride on some 
distance in advance, and see what I could find. 

Twelve miles out, I came to a plantation that looked 
as if it belonged to a man in wealthy circumstances. 

As I came in sight of the house, I saw two men go 
in. The house stood in a yard inclosed by a picket- 
fence ; behind the house Avas a small oak grove. 

Halting in front of the gate, I shouted, " Halloo the 
house ! " Two men came out, and one of them inquired 
what I wanted. 

"I want 3'ou to come out to the gate," I replied. 

"You go along to your command," he continued ; 
" you have no business here. Your command has just 
passed the corner yonder, out of sight. I don't want 
you straggling back and prowling around my prem- 
ises. I am Provost-marshal Grcneral of this district, 
and I order you to go on." 

"Oh, come out here. I am no straggler. I have 



SCOUT AND SPY. 313 

got some news to tell you about tlie Yankees, and 
it's good news, too." 

/ At that they both came out into the road. As the 
Marshal closed the gate, and stepped away from it, I 
reined my horse between him and the gate, and 
quickly presenting my revolver, told them that* they 
were my prisoners, and if they made any attempt to 
get away I'd kill them both on the spot. I then 
marched them back till I met Colonel Potts. 

" What have you got here ? " he inquired. 

"The Provost-marshal General." 

"Is that your rank, sir?" he inquired of the 
prisoner. 

"Yes sir." 

" What is your name ?" 

"Davis, sir; Doctor Davis, they call me." 

" What is your name?" (addressing the other). 

" My name is Davis ; I am a brother of the doctor." 

" What is your rank ? " 

" I am a private in the 35th Mississippi Regiment." 

" What are you doing here?" 

" I am on furlough. Here it is," said he, pulling it 
out and handing it to the Colonel. 

The Colonel ordered me to take them to the rear. 
I said to the Colonel it is only a few rods to the 
doctor's house ; so he brought them along to the 
house, where they were turned over to my care. 
I now discovered, for the first time, that there were 
several persons chained to the trees in the little grove 
behind the house. Leaving my prisoners with a 
guard, I went to find out who they were. I found that 

14 



314 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

• 

they had iron collars around their necks, to which the 
chains were made fast. They said they were Union 
people, and lived in the country about there, and that 
the}^ had fled from conscription, and Doctor Davis 
had hunted them down with bloodhounds, and then 
chaiiTed them there. I went to the doctor and asked 
him who he had got chained up in the grove. He 
said, "They are Confederate soldiers that have de- 
serted their regiments. I captured them, and fastened 
them that way for safe-keeping, until I could return 
them to their commands." 

I made him give me his keys, and then I unlocked 
the Union men, and put one of the iron collars on 
Doctor Davis' neck and locked him to the hind end of 
one of the wagons. The doctor's brother cried, and 
said he would rather see him shot than treated that 
way, and begged of me to let him go. I told him 
that such treatment was no worse for rebs than it Avas 
for good Union men. I had hardly stepped away from 
the doctor when the Union men pitched into him, and 
I guess they would have killed him in a very few 
minutes if I had not interfered. I was very sorry 
afterward that I didn't let them do him justice. 

We loaded the fifty-six wagons with bacon, oats, and 
corn, from the doctor's plantation, and then burned 
every thing that was left. While the w^agons Avere 
being loaded, some Indians that lived near by came 
to us, and seeing that I had the doctor chained, said : 

" Bad man ; very bad man. Be glad he's gone." 

As soon as I reached camp, I reported to General 
McPherson who I had captured. He said, ''Doctor 



SCOUT AND SPY. 315 

Davis is notorious for liis cruelty to loyal people. 
Bring your prisoner in." 

"While I was gone for the prisoner, General Sher- 
man and General Logan came over, and were there 
when I entered with him. General Sherman asked 
him a few questions, and then gave him a most severe 
upbraiding for his barbarous cruelty. When the 
generals had all given him a piece of their minds, he 
was turned over to my care. 

The next morning I took him out into the woods 
alone, to see what I could do toward scaring him. I 
chained him to a tree, and then, drawing my revolver, 
told him that I was going to kill him. lie begged of 
me to spare his life. 

"Yes," said I, "the ox is yours now; why didn't 
you think of that Avhen loyal men begged of you for 
mercy? You have no time to beg; you had better 
go to praying." 

He plead and cried, and finally prayed. As much 
as he deserved death, I hadn't the heart to kill him ; 
so I returned him to his place behind the wagon. 
Tie was made to travel all the way to Yicksburg 
with the collar and chain fast to his neck. At 
Yicksburg he was tried by court-martial, and sen- 
tenced to confinement on Johnson's Island. 

When the army arrived at Jonesboro, on its re- 
turn, General McPherson sent mo, with a squad of 
nine men, into the country to hunt up forage. We- 
were all mounted. When we had gone about eight 
miles to the northwest, we came to a small stream 
that flowed within deep perpendicular banks, and &> 



316 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

few yards beyond the stream we came to a liouse, 
where we dismounted. I went to the stable in search 
of horses and mules. On returning to the yard, in 
front of the house, I found my men gathered in a cir- 
cle around a young lady that had come out of the 
house. She was dressed extravagantly gay and rich, 
evidently in expectation of a visit from somebody. 
Her gay appearance something to do in gathering the 
men around her. 

"Boys," said I, " don't you know better than to 
huddle together in that way for bushwhackers to shoot 
at? One shot would kill two or three of you." 

"That's so. Bunker," said they scattering out. 

" What are you dressed up so nice for?" said I to 
the lad}^ Who's coming to see you ?" 

" I ain't dressed up ; this is my every-day attire." 

" You needn't try to deceive me in that way ; there 
is somebody coming to see you, and if you don't tell 
me who it is, I'll burn your house down." 

"Perhaps if you stay here long enough you will 
find out who it is." 

" Whereabouts is General Ross's command?" 

" He is not far from here." 

"Well, where is he?" 

" Down in the woods yonder." 

" Come on, boys, we'll go down and see." 

We mounted and rode down into the woods ; there 
we discovered a great many fresh horse-tracks. I 
ordered the boys to dismount and form a skirmish 
line. We had hardly got into position when a Confed- 
erate general made his appearance on a rise of 



■ SCOUT AND SPY. . 317 

ground in our front, about sixty yards distant, com- 
ing toward us. AVhen he had ascended fairly to the 
top of the hill, he halted to look. He was the rich- 
est dressed general that I ever saw. His uniform was 
heavily trimmed with gold lace, and his saddle, bri- 
dle, and holsters were mounted with gold. The gen- 
eral was straight, and well proportioned, and made a 
splendid appearance. I presumed that it was Gen- 
eral Ross, on his way to visit the young lady. 

"Jim," said I to the man nearest to me, whom I 
knew to be a good shot, ' ' why don't you shoot that 
general ?" 

Jim fired but missed him. We gave chase, and 
fired twelve or fifteen shots at him, but, in the ex- 
citement of the occasion, we all missed him. We 
followed about forty rods, then returned to our horses, 
recrossed the bridge, tore it up, stationed ourselves 
behind trees, and waited for the approach of the ene- 
my, who, I felt sure, would give chase. We had not 
■waited long until the expected enemy came. We 
opened fire on them as they came up, which was 
kept up by us for several minutes, and returned with 
equal vigor by them. Finding they made no im- 
pression on us, they withdrew. Suspecting that they 
knew of some other place to cross the stream, I told 
the boys to "light out." We were hardly in saddle 
till we saw the rebels coming from another direc- 
tion. They had crossed the creek, intent on our 
capture. Away we went, and the rebs after us. It 
was now nip and tuck who had the fastest horses. 
Fortunately for us, during our absence the 16th 



318 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

Corps had moved out on the road that we were on, 
and gone into camp, and we had only about three 
miles to ride before we ran into our own lines. The 
rebs kept up the chase until they were fired into by 
our pickets. I never learned whether we injured 
any of the rebs or not ; my own men received no in- 

Two days' further marching brought the army 
within four miles of Pearl River Swamp, where it 
halted to lay a pontoon across Pearl River. While 
the army was waiting, I was ordered by General 
Leggett to take a detail of eighteen men from the 
32d Ohio Infantry, in addition to which I had a squad 
of nine that had been on detail with me for several 
days. With these I was to go after forage, and be 
ready to start at daylight the next morning, I got 
horses for my men, and had them all ready that 
night. In the morning we started for General Leg- 
gett's headquarters for special instructions. On the 
Avay I met a lieutenant of the 23d Indiana Infantry, 
with a detail of ninety men, all mounted. He said to 
me, "Bunker, what is your detail for?" 

I told him that I was going after forage. He said, 
" I am ordered to take command of all forage parties 
to-day. You and your men fall in with me." The 
men, supposing it was all right, fell in, except one. 
I knew well enough that he had misrepresented his 
order to the men. He wore shoulder-straps and I 
wore none. I was vexed. I sat on my horse and 
watched his movements. He rode on to the head of 
his command with more assumino; dij^nitv than a Ma- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 319 

jor-General with a command of a hundred thousand 
men. He paid no attention to liis men, and they 
strung out behind long enough for a good-sized regi- 
ment. I told the man that had remained with me to 
go on, and tell the men of my detail that I wanted 
them to run with me, and to drop back behind till I 
came up. This they did, without being missed by the 
lieutenant. I got them all back but one man. The 
lieutenant fded to the left at the first left-hand road ; 
T went on to the second left-hand road, and then filed 
left. I calculated to let the lieutenant have the out- 
side track, and I would forage inside his operations. 
After turning to the left, we went a mile, and then 
took a track that led to the right, down through a 
field, and then into a piece of woods, until we came 
to a creek, with a steep bank on the side that we 
were on that was four feet down to the w^ater. We 
could only get our animals down the bank by push- 
ing them. In this we succeeded. The opposite bank 
we ascended without difficulty. We were then about 
five miles from where the lieutenant and I parted. 
Going on a few yards further, I heard the sound of 
voices, and motioned to the boys to stop. We lis- 
tened, and could distinctly hear loud talking, and oc- 
casionally such expressions as "thar," "j^ou all," 
and " gwine," which led us to conclude that we were 
coming upon a party of rcbs. I knew that Carson's 
cavalry was somewhere not far distant, and readily 
enough suspected that the talking we heard was from 
his men. To retrace our steps was impossible, owing 
to the nature of the opposite bank of the stream. To 



320 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

remain long where we were was dangerous. " Boys,'' 
said I, "we must do one of two tilings— either 
fight those rebs or ^'o to Andersonville. Which will 
you do r 

" Try 'em a whack, Bunker." 

"Well, then, tie your horses, and get into a line 
of skirmishers, and I'll ride cautiously forward and 
see what's there. I went so near that I saw two 
Confederate soldiers and a negro, clad in confederate 
uniform. This confirmed my suspicions that we had 
run into Carson's cavalry. I concluded that our only 
hope lay in the trial of strategy. From the voices 
that I heard, the party, whoever they were, greatly 
outnumbered mine. 

Having placed myself at the rear of my command, 
I shouted at the top of my voice, "Attention 
battalion! Company A, on the right, and B, 
ON the left, deploy as skirmishers! Forward 
— DOUBLE-QUICK — MARCH ! " Away the boys went. 
Then I shouted, "Battalion — forward — double- 
quick — MARCH ! " I was the battalion. I kept on 
giving commands, as we advanced, as loud as I could 
yell, as if I was commanding a full regiment of in- 
fantry. The strategy had its effect. The party did 
not wait to see who we were, but very unceremo- 
niously "lit out." We only got sight of three per- 
sons ; those were the two Confederate soldiers and 
the negro that I have mentioned, who remained behind 
for us to capture. We now found out that we had 
stampeded a party of Federal soldiers. They had 
left two yoke of oxen and a wagon, loaded with a 



SCOUT AND SPY. 321 

barrel of sugar, a sack of flour, and nice liams. On 
top of the load was a roll of carj3cting. The fleeing 
party had left along their line of flight great numbers 
of nice 'hams, that they had thrown away in their 
efforts to escape. The three persons that we had 
captured had hauled the stuff down into the woods 
that morning, to hide it from the Yankees. A party 
of Federal soldiers had discovered the track, and 
followed it up, and were in the act of appropriating 
the best of the hams to their own use, when we 
surprised them. We took possession of the property, 
and started on, keeping a plantation road that wound 
its way round to the main road, on which the army 
was encamped. 

Just before we came out on the main road, I halted 
my party to give the oxen a chance to rest. While 
there, the 11th Illinois Cavalry and a brigade of 
infantry were seen coming out on the road that we 
were on, with battle-flags flying. Coming up to us, 
they halted. At the head of the command, with 
the Colonel of the 11th Illinois Cavalry, was the 
Lieutenant of the forage party and a private of the 
23d Indiana Infantry. Said the private to me : 

' ' Bunker, was there a carpet on that wagon ?" 

" Yes ; but we threw it away." 

" Is there sugar in that barrel?" 

"Yes." 

" Is there flour in that sack?" 

"Yes." 

Turning to the lieutenant, " Here is your wagon." 

" Do you claim that wagon, Lieutenant?" I inquired. 



322 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

" I don't know as it is my wagon." 

"If it is, just say so ; I don't know as one soldier 
is better than another. These supplies are for this 
noble army. If they are yours, just say so ; then I'll 
tell how I came by them." 

' ' I don't know as I care who has them ; only I 
would like to have had one of those hams for my din- 
ner." 

" Well, why didn't you save one of the hams that 
you threw away, if you wanted one so bad ?" 

"I declare," said the Colonel, "if this ain't a 
pretty flirt ! A brigade of infantry and a battalion 
of cavalry sent out to attack Bunker and his squad !" 

The colonel then moved with his command back to 
camp, and I reported with my forage to General 
Leggett. 

The next day I took out a squad of six men on a 
I'oad leading to the northwest. Two miles out I came 
to a cross-road leading down to Pearl River. Near 
the corners stood a dwelling-house, and in the yard 
lay a dead horse, which, from appearances, had been 
killed only a few minutes before. Riding into the 
yard and reining up to the door of the house, I called 
the occupants out, who proved to be a widow lady 
and two daughters. I inquired how the horse came 
to be killed in her yard. At first she refused to tell. 
By threatening to burn her house, I succeeded in 
drawing out the information that a Federal soldier 
had been there but a few minutes, when a Confeder- 
ate colonel, an adjutant, and a servant rode into the 
yard ; the servant was mounted on a mule. The 



SCOUT AND SPY. 323 

Federal soldier, seeing tliem, ruslied out of the house 
and iired his piece at the adjutant, and then rushed at 
the colonel with his bayonet. The shot missed the adju- 
tant and killed his horse. The colonel shot the soldier 
in the right arm and disabled him. The adjutant left 
the servant to shift for himself, mounted the mule 
and rode off with the colonel toward Pearl River. 
They hurried their prisoner off as fast as he could go, 
without giving him time to tie up his wound. Hav- 
ing learned this, I said, "Come on, boys! we can 
outrun a mule, and perhaps we can catch them. 
Away we went, under full spur. A chase of a little 
over two miles brought us in sight of a dwelling- 
liouse, where, by the roadside, was liitched a horse 
and a mule, and sitting upon the porch was a Federal 
soldier. 

The colonel and adjutant had entered the house 
and called for a snack. The man of the house re- 
plied, "Really, Colonel, I should like to get you 
something to eat, but I am afraid the Yankees will 
be upon j'ou before my servants can get it ready." 

" No they won't, they are afraid of me. The cow- 
ardly rascals dasn't follow me ! I've got one of them 
now ; if they come I'll get some more." 

The soldier, seeing us coming, and having heard 
the conversation, said : " The Colonel is a brave man, 
indeed ; but, by the looks of things out here, he is 
gone up. Hearing that, they made a rush for their 
animals, and we Iired a volley from our revolvers, 
which killed the adjutant instantly. We emptied our 
revolvers at the colonel ; but in the excitement of the 



324 THE GRf:AT AMERICAN 

occasion every shot missed, and he succeeded in 
mounting his horse and starting off toward the river. 
By the time he was in his saddle, I was within twen- 
t}^ feet of him. The chase was a desperate one. The 
colonel, at intervals of a few rods, would let drive a 
back-handed shot toward me, until he had emptied 
his piece. My horse would lay back his ears and 
open his mouth, and spring forward with all his force, 
as if to catch hold of the colonel's horse with his 
teeth. A mile and a half brought us to the river. I 
had gained at least ten feet. The colonel's horse 
splashed into the water, and mine gave a leap and 
came nearly up, and then outswam his, till I came 
near enough to strike the colonel on the back of the head 
with the butt of my revolver, which considerably 
stunned him, and enabled me to get his horse by the 
bridle. 

"Surrender," said I, "or I'll kill you!" 

" Don't strike me again, I'm your prisoner," said 
the colonel. 

"Bring him out," shouted the boys, wiio, by this 
time had come up. 

We conducted the prisoner back to the house, 
where we found the soldier, still bleeding and very 
weak from the loss of blood. He belonged to the 
3 2d Ohio Infantry. He said that he had asked the 
woman of the house for a rag with which to tie up 
his wound, which she refused to give him, adding, "I 
hope you will bleed to death." We dressed the 
wound as well as we could, and then took care of the 
woman's rasfs. We then carried the soldier to his 



SCOUT AND SPY. 325 

regiment, and the colonel to General McPherson's 
headquarters. 

After crossing Pearl River, very little occurred of 
interest in my individual experience during the 
march back to Yicksburg. A great many forage 
parties and straggling soldiers were gobbled up by 
the enemy during the raid ; but, though I was out 
with men under my charge nearly every day, I 
never lost a man during the entire campaign, which 
lasted thirty days. On the march from Canton to 
Yicksburg the troops were not allowed to destroy 
property. The raid was a demonstration of the fea- 
sibility of the plan of campaigning which was after- 
ward inaugurated by General Sherman in the State 
of Georgia. 



326 THE GREAT AMERICAN 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

Stai-ts home on veteran furlough — Suspected of being a rebel spy — Com- 
missioned officer serves him at the table — Kind attentions at home — Si- 
lences an old maid — Returns to the front — Shot at twenty-one times — 
The remedy — A Union lady — The dwarf weaver — The weaver be- 
headed — Goes into Marietta as a spy — Confederate side of the lines — Es- 
cape from the rebs — General McPherson's death — Hard fighting. 

Early in March, 1864, we left Vicksburg for home 
on a veteran furlough. At Memphis we changed 
from the steamer Continental to a Memphis and Cin- 
cinnati packet. General Breman took passage with 
us as far as Cairo, 111., and, being the senior officer in 
rank on board, was in command of the troops. It is 
customaiy, when troops are on board transports, to 
have a guard and an officer of the day, whose duty it 
is to preserve order, subject to the instructions of the 
commanding officer. 

The next morning after we left Memphis, Captain 
Ayres, of the 20th Ohio Infantry, was the officer of 
the day. On reporting to General Breman for in- 
structions, he was informed that there was a " suspi- 
cious character" on board. He pointed me out to the 
ciiptain, and told him that I came on board at Mem- 
phis, and that, in all probability, I was either a rebel 
spy or an incendiary, watching an opportunity to 
burn up the boat. He instructed the captain to watch 
me, and if my actions confirmed his suspicions, to ar- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 327 

rest me aud place me under guard. The captain was 
personally acquainted with me, but kept the fact to 
himself. As soon as an opportunity offered, the cap- 
tain told me what the general had said ; so I resolved 
to see how he would act when he found out who 1 
was. Walking back to the after-cabin, I found Gen- 
eral Force and General Brcman engaged in reading. 
Said I to the latter, saluting him, " General Breman, 
you don't know me, do you?" 

"Not that I know of." 

"You don't remember of having me arrested in 
Tennessee as a rebel spy ?" 

" That's Mr. Euggies, General," said General 
Force ; "he's a useful man. He's a valuable scout." 

"Ah!" said Breman, remembering his instructions 
to the officer of the day, and coloring slightly, " I 
didn't know what to make of you. I did suspect your 
loyalty." 

"I'm loyal enough, but Lam among the rebs so 
much that I sometimes act like one." The officer of 
the day was saved the necessity of placing me under 
arrest. 

Before reaching Cincinnati, the boat supplies be- 
came so nearly exhausted that it became necessary 
to issue an order forbidding any but commissioned 
officers and their attaches being furnished with meals 
by the boat. There were so many to eat that it gen- 
erally required the table to be set three times before 
all would be supplied. The first time the table was 
set after the ordei- was issued, I called at the clerk's 
office to buv a ticket for dinner for mvself and a 



328 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

friend, and was refused on the plea that the order for- 
bid furnishing meals to enlisted men. My friend and 
I then seated ourselves at the table, but were ordered 
away by the steward. On our refusing to go, he re- 
ported us to the clerk, who came and ordered us 
away. I told him that we were entitled to get our 
meals there, and if he couldn't furnish us a waiter, 
I'd get a commissioned officer to wait on us. I then 
ordered a waiter to serve us, but the clerk counter- 
manded it. Just then Captain Bostwick, of the 20th 
Ohio Infantry, was passing by us. 

"Here, Captain," said I, "these men have got 
above thieir business. They won't wait on us because 
we ha'n't got on shoulder-straps. Can't you wait on 
a poor soldier ? " 

" Certainly, gentlemen ; what will you have, roast 
beef, or boiled ham ? " 

"Some of the beef, if you please. Captain." 

Away went the Captain with our plates. General 
Force, having heard our words, now made his ap- 
pearance. " General," said I, "this man and I fare 
rather slim ; they won't give us any thing to eat on 
this boat unless we have a man with shoulder-straps 
to wait upon us." 

"Clerk," said the General, "let these men have 
what they want to eat. That man there (pointing 
to my friend) is a commissioned officer, and the 
other man is a great deal more deserving of his meals 
than I am." 

"I beg your pardon, gentlemen," said the clerk. 

" Waiter, serve these men." 



SCOUT AND SPY. 329 

"Nevermind the waiter, clerk. We don't want 
any of your trash around us ; we have commissioned 
officers to serve us." The Captain served us till we 
had finished our meal, A'ery much to the amusement 
of those looking on. 

On my arrival in Ohio, I found that my reputation 
as a scout and spy had preceded me, and where- 
cver I went I could scarcely make my appearance on 
the street without having a crowd gather around me, 
eager to hear my experience in the scout service. I 
was pressed with invitations to call upon people whom 
I had never seen or heard of before. Circumstances, 
beyond my control, rendered my position an embar- 
rassing one. We were to have been paid our bounty, 
back pay, and veteran bounty at Columbus, 0., but, 
by the carelessness of the commissary of musters that 
mustered me, my veteran papers were left at Yicks- 
burg, so that I drew no pay, and, consequently, my 
clothes were ragged and my pocket empty. Embar- 
rassing as this w^as to me, it seemed to have very 
little influence with others, and ladies in silk would 
listen with intense interest to the narratives of the 
ragged soldier. 

I am proud that I live in a countr}' where patri- 
otism, valor, and services rendered to the Govern- 
ment, are more highly appreciated than dress or a 
lavish expenditure of money. My war-worn clothes 
did not diminish the number of my friends and ad- 
mirers, otherwise my veteran visit would have been 
an unhappy one. 

In the course of my visiting, I spent an evening at a 



330 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

farm-house, where was boarding the school-mistress 
of the district. She was a lady aged forty-two years 
— my age exactly — and would usually be called an 
"old maid." Her tongue was as flexible as mine: 
indeed, I found it hard to get the start of her. At 
iirst, we were shy of each other ; she was afraid of 
soiling her silk, and I was afraid to show my rags. 

Our seats were at opposite sides of the room. 
Gradually, however, our interest in each other's 
stories increased, and our distance apart as gradually 
diminished, until, finally, we were sitting side by side, 
and became the centre of attraction for the evening 
by our narratives, alternately told — hers of school- 
teaching experience and mine of experience in the 
scout service. At last she said: "Mr. Euggles, I 
should like to know how you learned to practise the 
art of deception, as you did, among the Southern 
people. They are not all fools, are they?" 

"No, ma'am, they are not all fools," but they 
acted foolish when they rebelled. 

"Really, then, I should like to know how you 
learned it.*' 

" I'll tell 3^ou, if you will permit me to do so." 

" I should like to know." 

" I learned it in paying my respects to old maids.''' 

''There! there! that will do !" and away she went to 
the opposite side of the room, much to the amusement of 
the company present. For the remainder of the eve- 
ning I had to keep at a respectable distance from her. 

Our veteran furloughs having expired, we reported 
to General Leggett, at Cairo, Illinois, who sent me to 



SCOUT AND SPY. 331 

Clifton, Tennessee, to report to General M. F. Force 
for duty. He sent me to Pulaski, a distance of sixty- 
two miles, with dispatches. A squad of twenty men, 
under command of a lieutenant from a battalion of 
Tennessee cavalry, was sent with me as an escort. 

The entire battalion of cavalry — in all, four hundred 
men — had been in the Confederate service. They 
were captured at the taking of Fort Donelson, and 
had been released by the Federal authorities, and had 
enlisted in the Federal service. They had been run- 
ning the courier line to Pulaski, but had never got 
through with their dispatches. The men of the bat- 
talion lived in the country lying between Clifton and 
Pulaski. 

Soon after starting out from Clifton, my cavalry 
escort began to drop off, one at a time, to visit their 
homes, and when I arrived at Pulaski I had but two 
of my escort with me — one was the lieutenant and 
the other a sergeant. I went through without being 
molested. 

I returned to Clifton with dispatches alone, and 
without difficulty. Two days after I was sent 
back again alone. I always passed over the most 
dangerous part of the route in the night. I went 
through undisturbed, but on my return I was shot at 
twenty-one times. At Lawrencburg I was fired at 
from the dwelling-houses, as I passed through the place, 
without any challenge to halt. One man was stand- 
ing on his porch, with his gun in his hand, evidently 
watching for mo to come, and fired at me as I 
passed. 

Four miles from Lawrence I came to several 



332 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

cotton-factories ; the locality bore the reputation of 
being loyal. There I was fired at both from the 
factories and dwelling-houses. I went through both 
of these places under full spur. The last shot that was 
fired at me was by a man standing in the middle of 
the road, who challenged me to halt, and at the same 
time brought his piece to an aim. Instead of halting, 
I put spurs to my horse and dashed by. I was not 
more than six feet from him when he fired, but, in the 
excitement of the moment, his shot missed me, and I 
passed on unharmed. I can assure the reader, from 
actual experience, that it is no very pleasant thing to be 
a mark for people to shoot at. I am fully convinced 
that it was citizens that fired at me, and that they 
had found out, through the cavalry that I have men- 
tioned, that I was a bearer of dispatches, and were 
watching for me. 

I delivered my dispatches to General Force, and 
told him that I was afraid to run the line alone. 
He gave me an order for twenty-one men, with the 
privilege of selecting men of my choice. Two days 
after, I again started to Pulaski, with ni}^ escort, who 
were infantry soldiers, mounted. Previous to start- 
ing, I told Grcneral Sherman my plan of operation, to 
which he said, " Ycry well." I called at every house 
along the entire route. If the people were in bed, I 
made them get up, and said to them, "/ am running 
a courier line from Clifton to Pulaski, and you good, 
loyal people have fired at me twenty -one times. If I am 
ever fired at again, icliether lam hilled or not, every man, 
loithin four miles of this road, on either side, shall Ic 
shot, and your houses burnt J^ 



SCOUT AND SPY. 333 

All of them claimed to be innocent, and said tlicy 
were quiet, peacably-disposed citizens. I went 
through and back with my escort without being 
molested, and for three weeks after, I ran the line 
alone, without being disturbed. 

At the expiration of three weeks, General Leggett 
arrived at Clifton with the 3d Division of the 17th 
Army corps, bringing with his command twenty-two 
hundred head of cattle for beef. The troops now 
prepared to march across to Georgia, to increase the 
force operating under General Sherman for the cap- 
ture of Atlanta. 

Preparatory to the marching of the troops, General 
Force sent me out on the road to Florence, to ascer- 
tain the locality of Roddy's cavalry — which was 
known to be hovering around-^to prevent any at- 
tempt it might make to stampede the cattle. I 
found out that the pavalry, 4,000 strong, was at 
Florence, Ala., and that Col. Bill Johnson commanded 
900 of Roddy's choicest men, and that he— Roddy — 
had heard of the arrival of the cattle, and had 
ordered Johnson to be on the alert for an opportu- 
nity to stampede them. This I learned from citixens 
who seemed to be well informed of the intended 
movements of both forces. Having satisfied myself 
that the information was reliable, I did not go into 
Florence, but crossed over to the Nashville and 
Florence military road, which I came to seven miles 
from the latter place. I then went toward LaAv- 
renceburg, on my return to my command. Twelve 
miles from where I came into the road, I halted at 



334 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

a dwelling-house, and said to the man of the house, 
"Can I get my horse fed, and some supper here?" 

•' Where do you belong?" 

' ' I belong to Bill Johnson's cavalry, and I'm going 
down to look up the Yankee beef-cattle." 

"Yes, yes; come in. The servant will feed your 
horse. I hope you'll succeed in finding the cattle." 

The servants were already engaged in preparing 
supper for the family. Just before supper was an- 
nounced, a daughter of the planter came in. I should 
judge that she was about sixteen years old. 

"Mother," said she, "what are you doing with 
that man here ?" 

"He's one of Johnson's men, and he's going 
down to hunt up the Yankee beef-cattle," was the 
reply. 

"Well, you had better watch him, or he'll steal 
something before he leaves." 

' ' Behave yourself, and not insult the man in that 
way," said the mother. 

"I do behave. He ought to be insulted. You 
are going down to hunt up the Yankees, are you?" 
she continued, addressing me. "You are a, pretty 
object to be engaged in hunting up Yankees. The 
sight of one pair of blue breeches would make six such 
monuments of Qocfs sparing mercy as yoiL are get up 
and leave the ground.''^ 

At the table the impudent thing would watch me, 
and whenever she could get my eye she would make 
faces at me, which she carried to such an extreme 
that her mother slapped her ears. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 335 

Whether the whole family were loyal, or only the 
daughter, or whether the daughter was secesh, and 
tried only to draw out my true character, the reader 
alone must judge ; my duties were such that T dare 
not trust any of them. 

I reached Clifton without being disturbed. 

On the arrival of the troops to within two miles 
of Lawrenceburg, I was sent ahead to that place, 
with instructions to go out on the military road 
toward Florence, and see if Johnson was coming. I 
told the adjutant-general that I was afraid to go on 
that road without an escort, on account of bush- 
whackers, lie gave me an order for the men out 
of the 11th Illinois Cavalry. When we had gone 
three miles on the military road, we came suddenly 
upon a dwarfish-looking man, mounted on a horse, 
who was wonderfully frightened at our unexpected 
meeting. 

" How far have you come on this road?" I inquired 
of him. 

" I have come from Florence." 

" Did yon see any of Colonel Bill Johnson's cavalry 
on the road ?" 

'• No, sir ; there is no cavalry on the road. Roddy's 
cavalry is at Florence ; there is none this side of 
there." 

"Look here, you are l^'ing to me," I said, eyeing 
him closely. "A'n't there any cavalry camped at 
Shoal Creek?" 

" No, sir ; if there is I did not see them." 

" Toil are lying to me sure. Johnson's cavalry is at 



336 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

Shoal Crock, not more than three miles from here, 
and you could not pass without seeing them. You 
belong to the cavalry, and have been sent out to see 
if the Yankees are coming with the cattle." 

" No, indeed, I don't belong to them,*' he persisted ; 
" I am no soldier, and did not see any soldiers along 
the road. I am a weaver by trade, and do not belong 
to the army." 

" Well, go with us ; we'll find out whether you are 
a soldier or not." His fright now turned into terror. 
We went about a mile, when we met Johnson's cavalry 
coming up, and were obliged to turn back. As we 
turned, one of the 11th Illinois cavalry, with a single 
stroke of his saber, severed the weaver's head from his 
body, which struck the ground before his body began 
to fall, and we left him for his comrades to take care 
of. I have no doubt that he was a scout for Johnson, 
and that he calculated his being a dwarf would clear 
all suspicion of his belonging to the army. 

I reported the approach of Johnson to General 
Leggett, who threw out a brigade of infantry in line 
of battle, to prevent an attack upon the cattle. 

Johnson fi^rmed his lines of attack, and moved up 
till he saw the infantry, then fell back and disap- 
peared. 

At Huntsville, Alabama, the ague came on me so 
bad that I was unable for dutj'. Leaving my horse 
with a scout that had run with me considerably, I 
went to the hospital. I did not like the looks of 
things there, so I was sent to Chattanooga, where I 
remained four days, at the end of which time I felt a 



SCOUT AND SPY. 337 

little better, and resolved to go back to the front. 
Hospital discipline and I could not agree. I went to 
a member of General McPhcrson's staff and told him 
what I wanted, and he gave me a pass to report to 
Greneral Sherman, wherever I could find him. I came 
up with him just at the opening of the Buzzard's 
Roost fight, in which I took a part. From there I 
was with the advanced guards until we came to 
Resaca, at which place I assisted, on the right flank, 
in fighting Wheeler's cavalry. I kept along with the 
advance of the army until we arrived at Kingston, 
where G eneral Leggett's command formed a junction 
with us. There I found my horse. From there I had 
nothing of particular interest to do until the rebs 
were driven to the Kenesaw Mountain. 

At that place General McPherson sent for me, and 
asked me if I thought I could go into Marietta and 
get back again. I told him I could, if allowed to 
take my own plans to accomplish it, which he said 
I might do. He told me to go in and find out 
whether the battery that commands the approach 
along the railroad is a masked one, and count the 
guns ; see whether any State militia were there, and 
whether any part of the line was held by them, and 
whether they were mixed in with other troops. I 
was to examine the- enemy's first line of works, and 
see how far they extended ; and how deep the ditches 
were, and whether I thought it practicable to carry 
them by assault. He gave me fifty dollars in green- 
backs to defray my expenses, and sent me to Major- 
General Logan for a Confederate uniform and some 

15 



338 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

Confederate money. Thus equipped, I started out 
the next day on horseback. I passed along our lines 
to the extreme left, to General Garrard's headquar- 
ters, where I left my papers, and procured a pass 
through the lines. I passed the videttes about noon, 
and proceeded on in an easterly direction until I 
reached Canton, sixteen miles from General McPhcr- 
son's headquarters. There I staid all night. In the 
morning I resumed my journey, on a road leading 
south, and halted for the night at a small village on 
the Chattahoochee Eiver, called Eoswell Factories, 
twenty-eight miles from Canton. The next morning 
a division of South Carolina cavalry came along from 
the east, just as I was ready to start out. I fell in 
and attached myself to company A, of the 1st South 
Carolina, and represented myself as belonging to the 
11th Texas Cavalry — which I knew was in our front 
when I started out — going to join my command. The 
explanation proved satisfactory, and I kept along 
with them till we reached Marietta, a distance from 
Roswell Factories of eighteen miles. Then I left 
them, under pretence of going to my own regiment, 
and went north along the railroad, until I came to 
the battery that I was directed to visit. It contained 
twelve large guns, well masked. I then turned to 
the right, and rode along the first line of intrench- 
ments. About eighty rods from the masked battery 
[ found a six-gun battery of small guns, and about 
eighty rods further on was another six-gun battery 
of small guns. 

About midway between the two six-gun batteries, 



SCOUT AND SPY. 66d 

I came upon a small squad of militia that had been 
digging a spur from the main ditch for a rifle-pit. 
One of the party stepped out of a pit that he had just 
completed, and for a moment contemplated the result 
of his labor, and then said : Nary a Yankee is gwine 
to co7ne up thar ; thar is Avhar I'll stay, and t/iar is 
whar I'll dief'^ When we came in possession of the 
place, however, we found no dead bodies ''thar.'" 

Down under the hill from the six-gun batteries, 
toward Marietta, I found a large force of state militia, 
who were holding the right of the rebel lines by 
themselves. There was nothing military in their 
appearance. Their camp was without regularity, and 
iilthy in the extreme. Many of them had their 
families with them, and some of them had cows tied to 
to their wagons. The dog and cat were not left be- 
hind. The tongues of their wagons usually pointed 
outward, and boards laid across from one wagon- 
tongue to another served them as tables. Decrepit 
old men and little boys, women and babies, white 
and black, were there. The various kinds and cal- 
ibers of small-arms were as numerous and different as 
the individuals that carried them. 

The ditches of the first line I found to be four feet 
deep and six wide. A little to the right and front of 
the militia, I found a brigade of Texas cavalry, 
composed, in part, of the 11th and 3d Texas regiments; 
two other Texas regiments made up the brigade. I 
went to the orderly sergeant of company A, of the 
1 1th Texas, and told him that I belonged to company 
A of the 1st South Carolina Cavalry, and that my 



340 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

regiment had just come in that day, and that I had 
got separated from my command, and I would like to 
stay with him overnight, and then hunt up my 
regiment in the morning. He went to the Colonel 
and asked permission to keep me, which was granted. 

The colonel of the 11th Texas was in command of 
the brigade. 

In the morning the brigade prepared to make a 
demonstration upon General AVilder's command ; so I 
told the orderly that I would go along and see the fun. 

The command moved out a short distance and then 
halted. Just then an orderly rode up and handed 
the colonel a dispatch, which, when he had read, he 
sent the whole command back to camp except the 
company I was with ; with that he said he would go 
out and capture a Yankee vedette. We rode until 
we came to a narrow ridge of ground. As we were 
rising this, and just as we had reached its summit, we 
unexpectedly received five shots from Federal 
vedettes, which killed the colonel and two pri- 
vates. 

The command immediately broke to the rear and 
fled toward camp. I broke back with them until we 
reached the foot of the hill, when I turned to my right, 
and went up the hollow, I should judge about tliree 
hundred yards, and again ascended the ridge, and 
crossed to a little brook that flowed along the base of 
the hill, and crossed the road between the vedettes 
and where the colonel was killed. A little below 
me, in the brook, was a Federal soldier, engaged in 
washing his face. His hat and gun were lying upon 



SCOUT AND SPY. 341 

the bank. He was but a mere boy. Seeing rae 
approach, he seized his gun, cocked it, and raised it 
to his face, when I called to him, " Plold on, my little 
man, I am a Federal soldier ; don't shoot me ! " 

"Well, then, come in out of the wet! Don't you 
tr}' to get away ; if you do I'll hore you ! " 

The little fellow kept his piece levelled at me until 
I came up, and then marched me away to the reserve. 
He was so elated with his capture that he forgot his 
hat, and marched me in without it. 

From the reserve I was taken to General Wilder 's 
headquarters, and then to Colonel Miller's, where my 
horse was taken from me. From there I was taken 
to the corral of rebel prisoners, near General 
Garrard's headquarters, and turned in. I sat down 
upon a block of wood, near the entrance to the 
inclosure, and leaned my head upon my hands. I 
had been there but a moment, when a prisoner, 
discovering that I was a fresh arrival, stepped up and 
said, "To what command do you belong?" 

"Clear out, and don't bother me," I replied ; "I'm 
mad now." 

The prisoners, seeing that I was not in a talking 
mood, left me to myself. Shortly after, the Adjutant- 
General came out and discovered me sitting there. 
I heard him call the sergeant of the guard, who 
shortly came to the entrance and said, "Halloa, there, 
you long-haired fellow ! you are wanted here." He 
took me to headquarters, wiiere I received the 
papers that I had left there, and an order for my 
horse and a pass to General McPherson's head- 



342 ITIE GREAT AMERICAN 

quarters, where I arrived after an absence of five 
daj^s and a half. 

The information that I gathered showed that the 
enemy's right was the most advantageous point for 
us to attack ; so much so, that it was thought by good 
judges that a single army corps could easily have 
entered Marietta. General Sherman, however, was 
not left to choose his place of attack, for the next 
morning the enemy made a furious assault upon our 
right, against General Hooker's command. The on- 
slaught was impetuous and the pressure tremendous, 
but w^as heroically resisted. For a time it seemed as 
if Hooker's entire command would be swept away 
by the masses that were hurled against it. It was 
enough, however, that "Fighting Joe" was there to 
animate his troops by his noble bearing. 

The action was sustained in all its fury, and grad- 
ually spread from right to left, until the whole line 
was engaged, and lasted until, overpowered by the 
boys in blue, the enemy broke and fled, resulting in 
a complete victory to the Federal arms, with the pos- 
session of Kenesaw Mountain and Marietta. 

The next day, at my request. General McPherson 
and staff, accompanied by General Leggett, went with 
me to see the places that I had described in my re- 
port. After we had visited them. General McPher- 
son said that he was convinced that I had reported 
correctly. I mention this, because it is not uncom- 
mon for spies to go out, and, on their return, report 
that which they know nothing about. It was a satis- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 343 

factiou for me to know that he was satisfied that I had 
visited the places that I had described. 

General Sherman continued to press the enemy 
toward Atlanta, and his victory at Kenesaw Mountain 
was followed by an advance of his lines to within 
two miles of that place, and extending around three 
sides of it. 

The 20th day of July, General Hood's superseduro 
of General Johnston in the command of the Confed- 
erate army was inaugurated by a furious attack upon 
the 4th and 14th corps, comprising General Sher- 
man's centre. Very much to our satisfaction. General 
Johnston's slow-retreating process of campaign was 
changed to one of rapid evolutions and bold, des- 
perate dashes. Our greatest difficulty had been to 
get the enemy to fight. This we now had an oppor- 
tunity of doing. The hardy veterans of the North- 
west received the attack with coolness and determina- 
tion, and, though the enemy came in massed columns, 
they stood their ground, dealing out death and de- 
struction, until Hood was glad to withdraw, leaving 
his dead and wounded in our hands. 

On the morning of July 22d, General McPherson 
was informed, by a member of his staff, a picket ofiQ- 
cer, that he had heard, during the night, a noise like 
the moving of artillery, which he surmised to be 
the enemy evacuating Atlanta. General McPherson 
thought the officer was mistaken about the evacuation 
of the place. The noise of moving troops, he thought, 
was probably a body of rebel cavalry that had moved 



344 THP] GREAT AMERICAN 

out on our left flank, which lay stretched along on the 
east side of the place. 

To clear up the matter, General McPherson told 
me to take my horse and ride out to Decatur, which 
was four miles distant, and from there out on the 
Stone Mountain road, and fmd out whether the enemy 
was there. He instructed me to go as far as I could, 
and not get captured. If I found the enemy, I was 
to drop back toward our lines, and feel along, at in- 
tervals, for the enemy toward our left. This was on 
the supposition that the enemy might have a line ex- 
tending around our left flank and along its rear. 

Three-quarters of a mile out from Decatur, I came 
upon five rebel soldiers on picket. They diallenged 
me to halt, but I had no intention of halting there ; 
so I wheeled about and "lit out." The rebs might 
have shot me as well as not. I returned to our lines, 
and went out on another road, and had proceeded 
but about half a mile, when I came upon more rebel 
pickets. They did not fire at me. I tried to get out, 
in all, at thirteen different places, and every time 
encountered pickets, none of whom tried to shoot me 
I was well satisfied that the noise of moving troops, 
heard in the night, were infantry and artillery moving 
round to our rear, intending to surprise us, and for 
that reason their pickets were forbidden to fire upon 
individuals or small parties. 

I then hastened back and reported to General 
^IcPherson what I had seen. He wanted to know 
if I was sure the pickets were infantry, and I told 
him that I was. He seemed to doubt the possibility 



SCOUT AND SPY. 345 

of their being infantry. He and his staff then rode 
out to our rear picket-line, on a road that I had not 
been out on, and, waiting there, he sent me out to 
see if I coukl find any pickets. I went about forty 
rods, when I came to a dwelling-house, standing in 
a little opening in the woods that lined either side 
of the road. It was then about eleven o'clock, a. m. 
I had become very thirsty from constant riding in 
the hot sun since early in the morning ; so I rode up 
to the door of the house, and inquired of a lady there 
if she would have the kindness to give me a drink 
of water. Said she, " I have just drawn a bucket 
of fresh water at the well, back there, and you can 
have some in welcome ; but I reckon you are a Fed- 
eral soldier, and if you stop to get it, you will get 
killed, for a colonel and two of our soldiers have just 
this minute stepped away from the well." Without 
stopping to drink, I rode back into the road, and 
there, about seventy-live yards further on, stood the 
colonel and two soldiers. They did not fire at me, 
but the colonel, who had his sword in his hand, gave 
it a defiant flourish, as if to sa}^ "You'll catch it 
directly." ,1 went back to General McPherson, and 
reported what I had foimd, who then rode out with 
me and saw for himself. He said it was about noon, 
and he would go back to dinner and send out a recon- 
noitering party. 

While we were eating our dinner, a firing com- 
menced on the picket-line to the rear, and in less 
than five minutes an entire division was emrao-ed. 
Brigades of troops had been stationed near the rear 

15* 



346 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

pickets as a reserve. It was these troops that were 
attacked. The troops known as the "Iowa Brigade" 
of the 17th Army Corps were among the reserves. 
Against this brigade were massed such overwhelming 
numbers, that it was compelled to give way and fall 
back. General McPherson immediately rode to the 
scene of action, and ordered up a brigade to its sup- 
port. Anticipating that when the first shock of the 
onset was over the enemy would ease up, and swing 
round in mass against the rear of his left, he imme- 
diately dispatched his staff with orders to the different 
commanders to counteract such a move. He watched 
the progress of the action until satisfied that his pres- 
ence was no longer needed there, and then started 
for the left. 

The falling back and changing of position of the 
Iowa brigade had left a gap in our lines. Through 
this a part of the rebel line advanced. As we were 
making our way along, we met the rebel skirmish- 
line, whose direction of advance had become changed 
by the broken character of the country. A volley 
was fired at us, which instantty killed General Mc- 
Pherson, the ball passing in at one side and out at 
the other, piercing his heart and lungs ; another 
wounding his horse across the breast, and another 
wounding his horse across the neck, and another 
passed through the lower part of one of the forefeet 
of my horse, tearing off a shoe and leaving a groove 
across the entire foot. Seizing the General's horse 
by the bridle, I led him away out of danger. 

Two orderlies and a captain of the Signal Corps 



SCOUT AND SPY. 347 

were the only persons, besides myself, that were near 
the General when he fell. As soon as it was known 
that McPherson had fallen, Major-General Logan 
took command of the Army of the Tennessee. 1 
turned the horse over to the captain of the Signal 
Corps, to take care of, who dispatched an orderly 
to Colonel Clark, Assistant Adjutant-General of Mc- 
Pherson's stafl", with the intelligence of his death. 
My horse was so lamed by his wound that I could 
not ride him, so I took him to General Leggett's 
headquarters and left him, took my gun and went to 
the front. 

By this time the action had become general along 
the Army of the Tennessee, and raged furiously in 
front and in rear. Attaching myself to the first regi- 
ment that I came to, the 18th Missouri Infantry, I 
fought with my rifle until the action was over. 

The contest was a desperate one, and the slaughter 
on both sides dreadful. Five times we jumped our 
works, fighting sometimes to the front and sometimes 
to the rear. The action did not extend beyond the 
Army of the Tennessee. When the action had ceased, 
we were ordered to fall back a short distance and 
throw up intrenchments. The colonel of the regiment 
I was with now saw me for the first time, and, from 
my dress, supposing that I was a rcb. trying to evade 
capture, said to me : "Look'e here, mister, where do 
you belong?'' 

" I am a member of the 20tli Ohio Infantry, but I 
belong to General McPherson's headquarters." 

" What are you doing here ?" 



348 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

' ' I have been in the fight. I had my horse dis- 
abled in the beginning of the action, so I took my 
gun and went to fighting with your regiment, and I 
have been with it for two hours." I then handed 
him an order that General McPherson had given me, 
Vviiich said, "Guards, pickets, and patrols will pass 
Corporal Lorain Ruggles, of the 20th Ohio Veteran 
Yolunteer Infantry, who is on special duty, at all 
places and at all hours, without the countersign." 

When he had read it, he said, " May-be General 
McPherson gave you that, and may-be you stole it 
from the pocket of a dead soldier. You look to mo 
more like a reb. than anything else." 

I then showed him an order that General Leggett 
had given me to draw fresh beef for myself and scouts 
that messed with me. Having read it, he said, "It 
may all be right." 

We won a victory, but at a fearful cost of life, of 
both officers and men. Among the fallen heroes of 
this war, there has been none more amiable in char- 
acter, none whose services were of more value to the 
Government, and none whose loss was more regretted 
by the men of his command, than the brave, gallant 
McPherson. He was loved and highly esteemed by 
all that knew him. I can scarcely describe my sorrow 
at his loss. My attachment had become intimate, and 
I felt that I had not only lost my commanding officer, 
but my most valued friend. Such feelings of sorrow 
and loneliness came over me that I was well-nigh in- 
capacitated for duty. I had felt lonely when General 



SCOUT AND SPY. 349 

Grant left the Army of the Tennessee, but now I 
scarcely knew what to do. 

Shortly after the battle of the 22d of July, General 
Sherman changed his position by ordering the Army 
of the Tennessee to take its position on the right of 
the army, leaving the armies of the Ohio and the 
Cumberland where they were. This movement en- 
abled General Sherman to extend his right toward 
the junction of the railroad to the south of Atlanta. 
The movement having been effected, General Logan, 
on the 28th of July, ordered the 16th Army Corps to 
advance its lines, and the 14th Corps, at the same 
time, to swing round its left, and the 15th Corps to 
swing round its right, so that the 14th and 15th 
Corps formed converging lines toward the intrench- 
ments from which the 16th Corps had advanced. 
General Hood ordered an attack on the advancing 
Corps, which, when it had fairly drawn on the en- 
gagement, as had been previously arranged, fell back 
as if beaten, until it reached its place of starting be- 
hind its intrenchments, closely followed by the enemy. 
The 16th Corps then poured a tremendous fire into 
Hood's front, and the 14th and 15th Corps an oblique 
fire into his flanks. He kept pressing his men up in 
masses to the contest, until it seemed as if the entire 
Confederate army would be swept away by the ter- 
rible cross-fire to which it was exposed. The action 
lasted from nine o'clock, a. m., until five o'clock, p. m., 
wlien the enemy withdrew, leaving his dead and 
wotmded in our hands. The loss of the enemy was 



350 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

five thousand killed, besides wounded and prisoners. 
Our loss was very light in comparison to that of the 
enemy. I had no hand in this fight, but had an ex- 
cellent opportunity of witnessing it. The next day I 
went over the battle-ground. The rebel dead lay so 
thick upon the ground that I could not ride along 
without stepping on them, and was compelled to 
leave my horse and proceed on foot. The destruc- 
tion of life to the enemy, compared with our own 
loss, was greater than ii;;i any other action that I have 
ever witnessed. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 351 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Goes to Ohio to recruit — Raises twenty-one men — Difficulty with the Gov- 
ernor — Visits Lieutenant-General Grant — Order from the War Depart- 
ment — Again in difficulty — Runs away from the Governor — Reports to 
General Sherman — Georgia raid — An amusing coincident — Reports to 
General Granger, at Mobile — Reports to General Grierson, in Texas — 
Slakes a trip to the Upper Colorado — Incident at General Grant's head- 
quarters — The war over. 

When General Grant left the AVestern Depart- 
ment to take command of the armies of the United 
States, I felt very lonely and depressed in spirit, on 
account of being parted from one to whom I had be- 
come strongly attached. I might have accompanied 
the General to the Army of the Potomac, but I had 
no acquaintance with that part of the country, and 
I preferred to operate where I had some knowledge 
of army movements, as well as of the country and 
people. The death of General McPherson made me 
feel gloomy and discouraged ; and in the absence 
from the department of my two most valued friends, 
I determined to seek relief for my depressed state 
of mind by attempting to raise an independent com- 
mand of my own, for secret service purposes. 

I visited Major-General Logan — then in command 
of the 15th Army Corps — and told him my state of 
mind, and that I felt as if I had rendered service 
valuable enough to the Government to entitle me to 



352 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

a command of my own, and if he thought I was 
worthy of it, I wished him to assist me. He imme- 
diately drew up and gave me the following letter : 

*' Headquarters 15th Army Corps, ) 
" Before Atlanta, Ga., Aug. 15, 1864. ) 

" Captain L. M. Dayton, Aid-de-camp 3IilUtary Division of 

the 3Iississippi : 

"Captain — The bearer, L. Euggles, of the 20th Ohio 
Volunteers, has been for two years in the secret service of the 
Government, and has, during that time, made it his study 
to become efficient in all its branches. Now, feeling confi- 
dent in his ability, he wishes to raise a company of scouts, 
and desires authority to do so. I respectfully recommend 
that necessary authority be given him, believing him to be 
eminently fit to direct the movements of such a body of 
men. 

" Under my directions, in the Mississippi campaign, 
through Holly Springs, Miss., and again in the Yicksburg 
campaign, he rendered the most signal service in obtaining 
information. He once entered the city of Vicksburg, dur- 
ing its investment, and returned with valuable and reliable 
information. If such authority can, under any circum- 
stances, be given to any one, I respectfully recommend that 
it be granted him. Very respectfully, 

" John A. Logan, 
" Major- Geniei^al Volunteers." 

I carried the letter to General Leggett, who placed 
on it the following indorsement : 

" Headquarters 3d Division, 17th Army Corps, ) 
" Before Atlanta, Ga., Aug, 15, 1864. ) 

" I am well acquainted with said Lorian Buggies, and 
have been familiar with his career since he entered the 



■ SCOUT AND SPY. 353 

secret service, and fully subscribe to all that is said for liira 
by Major-General Logan. 

" During the most of his time he has been in the secret 
service he has been under my direction. He has often had 
under his command from six to thirty men, as scouts, and 
has always handled them with great skill, collecting valua- 
ble information and yet saved his men. 

" M. T>. Leggett, 

" Brigadier- General." 

From headquarters 17th Army Corps, I received 
the following indorsement : 

" Headquartees 17th Army Corps, 
" Near Atlanta, Ga., Aug. 15, 1864. 

" Kespectfully forwarded. Approved. 

"Frank P. Blair, 3Iajor- General" 

At Department of Army of the Tennessee, it was 
indorsed as follows : 

" Headquarters Dep't Army Tenn., ) 
August 15, 1864. j" 

" Respectfully forwarded. O. O. Howard, 

" Major- General. ' ' 

The reader will bear in mind that I was a stranger 
to both Generals Blair and Howard. I then carried 
it to General Sherman, who disapproved it, as follows : 

" Hk\dquarters Military Division, Mississippi, 
" In the Field, near Atlanta, Aug. 15, 1864. 

"Respectfully returned. There is no general law for 
such organization as the within. General officers, when 
they have secret service funds, can employ men for such 
service. 

10* 



1 



354 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

" States have had authority for raising independent com- 
panies of any kind that might be converted. 
" By order of Major-General W. T. Sherman. 

" L. M. Dayton, Aid-de-camp." 

I was disappointed with Grencral Sherman's decis- 
ion. I felt confident that there was some way by 
which I could get such a command as I wanted. I 
went to General Leggett for advice, who, after hav- 
ing read Grencral Sherman's reasons for disapproval, 
wrote and handed me the following letter to Governor 
Brough : 

" Headquarters 3d Drv. 17th Army CoRrs, 
" Before Atlanta, Ga., August 17, 1864. 

" To Ms ExceUenaj John Brough, Governor of Ohio : 

" Governor — The bearer of this communication — Cor- 
poral Buggies, Co. H. 20th O. V. V. I.— has been in the 
secret service in the Army of the Tennessee for more than 
two years past, and has been eminently successful in that 
department. He has fi'equently had charge of considera- 
ble numbers of men employed as scouts and has always 
managed them with great discretion and skiU. 

" I would respectfully recommend that authority be ob- 
tained, if possible, for him to recruit in Ohio from among 
non-veteran soldiers, who have been discharged from ser- 
vice by reason of expiration of term of enlistment, an inde- 
pendent company, to be armed with Spencer rifles, and 
used as sharp-shooters, scouts, secret service men, etc. 

" It is believed that such a company can be raised of men 
skilled in such service, and that the service will be greatly 
benefited thereby. 

" Very respectfully, your most obedient servant, 

"W. D. Leggett, Brigadiei'-GaieraV 



SCOUT AND SPY. 355 

The foregoing letter was indorsed as follows : 

" Headquarters 15th Army Corps, > 
" Before Atlanta, August 17, 1864. ) 

" Approved and recommended. John A. Logan, 

" Major- General Commanding. ^^ 
"By E. R. Townes, Lieutenant- Colonel and A. A. G." 

" Headquarters 17th Ariviy Corps, 
"Before Atlanta, Ga., August 17, 18G4. 

" Approved and strongly recommended. This man has 
proved himself a trusty scout, and has been of great service. 
" [Signed for Major-General Blair.] 

" A. J. Alexander, A. A. G" 

" Headquarters Army and Dep't of Tennessee, ) 

August 17, 1864. j 

" Respectfully forwarded. 

" I could make good use of a good company, skiDed a.s 
within described. I have no personal knowledge of Cor- 
poral Buggies. 

" O. O. Howard, Mctjor-GeneraV 

The foregoing letters and indorsements, and Gen- 
eral G-rant's indorsement — which is yet to follow — 
were furnished me for these pages, accompanied by 
the following letter by the War Department : 

" War Dep't, Adjutant-General's Office, ) 
" Washington, August 13, 1866. \ 

"Mr. Lorain Riiggles, {Care of Major E. C. Doivns, hie of 
the 20th Ohio Vols., Henrie House J Cincinnati, Ohio: 
" Sir — I have respectfully to acknowledge the receipt of 

your letter of the 2d inst., requesting to be furnished with 



356 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

copies of letters asking authority for you to raise a com- 
mand of scouts, etc., with the indorsements thereon recom- 
mending the same, for publication in a work detailing your 
experience as a scout. 

" In reply, I have to transmit herewith copies of the let- 
ters referred to, with the indorsements thereon, as requested. 

" I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" Thomas H. Vincent, 
^^ Assistant Adjutant- General.'' 

With the two letters of recommendation and their 
indorsements, I proceeded to Ohio, and presented 
them to Grovernor Brough, who read them over very 
carefully, then returned them to me, and ordered 
that I be furnished with the necessary recruiting 
papers and set to work immediately. 

Having received the necessary documents, I com- 
menced at once, and in a very short time had pro- 
cured twenty-one men. With these I went to Colum- 
bus, and reported in person to the Adjutant-Greneral. 
He read over my order from the Governor, and then 
said : " Did you raise your men under that order as 
scouts ?" 

"Yes, sir." 

"Well, there a'n't such an organization known in 
the United States Army Eegulations as a company 
of scouts. I can't do anything with such men." 

" I can't help that," T replied ; " I have acted un- 
der authority of the Governor of Ohio." 

" Well, let us go and see the Governor." 

We carried the order to the Governor, and the 



SCOUT AND SPY. 357 

Adjutant-General explained to him that there was no 
such organization in the Army Regulations. 

" Well, Mr. Ruggles," said the Governor, "you go 
on and raise the men, and assign them to a regiment, 
and then have them detailed out for scouting pur- 
poses.'' 

" That won't do at all, Governor," said I. "I have 
commanded detailed men long enough ; I want a com- 
mand of my own." 

" Well, put your men into the 197th Ohio Infantry, 
and I will extend your time to recruit, and give you 
a commission as Captain." 

" I don't want such a commission, Governor. I 
don't want to be in the infantry service." 

"Very well; I have got to fill that regiment up, 
because it is needed immediately at Nashville, and 
the men will have to go into it." 

"Then take them and put them there, and I'll go 
to Washington," said I, and walked out. 

I still held the letters of recommendation, with 
their indorsements. With these I proceeded to Bal- 
timore, where I found Major-General Lewis Wallace, 
and obtained a pass from him to General Grant's 
headquarters, at City Point, Ya. I showed General 
Grant my papers, and told him of my difficulty. He 
took my papers and addressed them to the War De- 
partment, with the following indorsement : 

" Headquakters Armies of the United States, | 
" City Point, Va., October 13, 1864. ) 

" I know Private Euggles well, and the services he ren- 
dered in Mississippi as a scout. With an independent 



358 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

company of such men as himself, he would be worth more 
in the Shenandoah Valley, and over the district of country 
over which Mosby roams, than a regiment of cavahy. 

" I would recommend that he be authorized to raise a 
battalion of men, and be put in the Department of West 
Virginia. 

" U. S. Grant, Lieutenant- General^ 

Thus approved, Greneral Grant sent me with them 
to the Secretary of War ; but, as I was about to leave 
his quarters, he said, " Perhaps you had better show 
these papers to the President." Thus prepared, I 
bent my way toward Washington, with a somewhat 
lighter heart than I left the Governor's office at Co- 
lumbus, Ohio. 

Finding several army officers of my acquaintance 
at Washington, I showed them my papers, and told 
them that General Grant advised me to show them 
to the President, and I have since been sorry that I 
did not take his advice. My friends said that it was 
not necessary, so I proceeded at once to the War 
Department, and handed my papers, in person, to 
Secretary Stanton. I felt tappy when I entered the 
office. Said Mr. Stanton, " What do you ivantF" 

"I want you to read these papers." 

He read the papers, and then said, " Can you com- 
mand cavalry ?" 

" I don't know whether I could command horses, 
but I have done pretty well with mules." 

He then signed the papers, and sent me to the 
Provost-marshal-general. 

From the Secretary of War I went to the Provost- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 359 

marshal-generars office. There I wa3 told to call in 
a week, and my papers would be ready. 

At the expiration of seven days, I again called at 
the office of the Provost-marshal-general, and was 
handed an order of which the following is a copy : 

" Wae Dep't Provost-makshal-Geneeal's Office, ) 
" Washington, D. C, October 21, 1863. ) 

" To his Excellency the Governor of Ohio : 

" Sir : — Subject to your approval, it is hereby ordered 
that Corporal Lorain Euggles, Company H, 20tli Ohio Ve- 
teran Volunteer Infantry, has authority to proceed to Ohio 
and raise a company of cavalry, for certain special services, 
whereas ordered by these headquarters. 

" Should the Corporal's success warrant it, authority will 
be given him to raise three additional companies — not 
more than one company, however, to be under recruitment 
at one time. 

" As soon as a company is raised, he will report with it 
at once to these headquarters. The men must be enrolled 
under the present existing regulations, for the period of 
one, two, or three years, as the men may choose to enlist. 
The company must be raised within twenty days from the 
time the Corporal commences to recruit. 

" By order of the Secretary of War. 

"James B. Fry, Provost-marshcd- General" 

With this I again reported to the Governor of 
Ohio. He opened the order and commenced to read 
aloud. When he came to the date, which was 1863, 
when it should have been 18 04, he inquired : " Where 
have you been for a year p^st ?" 

"You know where I have been, Governor," I re- 
plied. " You know that that paper is dated wrong." 



360 THE GREAT AMEllICAN 

''Well, don't you know that when a military order 
is dated wrong it is all wrong." 

" Yes ; but what shall I do about it?" 

'• Go back to Washington and get it made right." 

" I don't want to spend so much time running about. 
I would like to raise a company and get back to the 
front before the ivar doses.'''' He then finished reading 
the order. When he had done, I asked him what he 
thought of it. 

"Well," said he, " I would advise you not to do 
anything with it as it is." 

"That's my mind exactly. It a' n't ichat I imnted 
at all. It looks like making a recruiting officer of 
me to fill up some fancy regiment. All I wanted was 
authority to raise a comjKiny. I am subject to your 
orders. What shall I do — go to recruiting, or go 
back to the front ?" 

" I don't know, Corporal, what you had better 
do." 

"Well, if you don't know, I don't; so, I guess 
I'll leave." 

At length, being disgusted with making any fur- 
ther effort to raise a company, I went back to the 
front without orders, and reported to the command- 
ing officer of my regiment. Finding that I had no 
order returning me to duty in the regiment, he re- 
fused to have me in his command. I then reported 
to Major-General Howard, who said that I was sub- 
ject to order from the War Department, and that he 
had no authority over me. I remarked, " I guess, 
then, that I must be out of the service altogether. 



SCOUT AND SPY. 361 

I'll go and see what Greneral Sherman can do for 
me." I went to him, and told him what I had done, 
and he said to me, "You may remain at my head- 
quarters until further orders." 

I must say that I felt sadly disappointed and dis- 
heartened at my failure in raising a command of my 
own. If I had humored the Governor in the first 
attempt to raise a company, I would, undoubtedly, 
have been a captain, but I was determined to have 
such a command as I wanted, or none. The reader 
must judge for himself whether I have merited it 
or not. 

In about five days after my arrival at the front, 
Greneral Sherman started on his grand campaign 
through Georgia. Not a doubt was entertained by 
the troops of their ability to march triumphant across 
to the Atlantic coast. Very few there were but who 
anticipated correctly the point of destination at the 
outset of the march, and at the prospect before them 
were highly elated. Never were men in better spirits 
than when the march commenced. 

It was the most decisive and glorious campaign of 
the war, and yet fraught with the least of personal 
adventure of any campaign that I have taken part in. 
My duty was one in common with the other scouts, 
and the soldiers of the entire army were all scouts. 
My individual experience was not different from that 
of the great mass of soldiers. 

Our duty was to subsist ourselves and devastate 
the country as completely as possible, taking good 
care not to get captured. This we accomplished 

i6 



362 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

successfully. The army never lived better and the 
men never enjoyed better health ; and when we 
reached the Atlantic coast w^e were in better condi- 
tion physically than when we started from Atlanta. 
The march occupied a period of thirty-two days, 
every day of which we were on the move. 

During our progress, though we were cut off from 
all communication with home, we were not altogether 
ignorant of General Thomas' glorious victory, and 
route of the Confederate army under Hood. We 
learned, by way of the Southern people, of "Hood's 
disaster," and could plainly comprehend the strategy 
that had drawn him unwittingly to the defences at 
Nashville, and it added not a little to our courage. 
We plainly saw that the enemy was utterly power- 
less to resist our advance. 

On our arrival at the coast, near Savannah, we 
were visited by the Secretary' of War. General 
Leggett gave me an introduction to him, as "a very 
elficient and worthy scout and spy," to which he re- 
plied, " Yes, I know him." 

He asked me if I was acquainted about Mobile 
and New Orleans. I told him that I was not much 
acquainted about Mobile, but had been there twice, 
and that I was pretty well acquainted about New 
Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. He asked me if I 
was willing to make a trip across the country and 
report to General Granger, and I answered, "Yes, 
anywhere." 

The next morning I received a sealed order from 
the Secretary of War to proceed across the country 



SCOUT AND SPY. 363 

on horseback, and report for special service to Gen- 
eral Granger, at Mobile, Alabama. I was not limited 
in time to make the trip. 

It was some time in the month of January, 18G5, 
that I set out on my journey. I travelled very leis- 
urely, and visited every place of any importance that 
lay near my route. I had been instructed by the 
Secretary of Yfar to gather as much information as I 
could while passing through the country. To accom- 
plish this, I made frequent trips to converse with the 
people, and I frequently rode many miles, to one side 
or the other of my route, to find people that were 
influential and leading members of society, so that I 
might learn the sentiments of those who wielded a 
controlling influence. I travelled in the disguise of a 
citizen, carrying my order from the Secretary with 
me. It was not often that I ventured to carr}'' such 
papers, but at tliis time I considered the war virtually 
at an end, and apprehended no danger of being 
searched. 

I found that most of the people were willing to 
give up to the Federal authorities — not because they 
had been wrong, but because by the force of war they 
had been overpowered and exhausted. While there 
was a desire for peace, there was also a hatred of the 
Federal Government. A few were satisfied with the 
old Government as it was^ and had reluctantly been 
drawn into rebellion by the force of the elementvS 
around them. Such people hailed the overtlirow of 
the Confederate government with joy. 

"Hood's disaster" and "Sherman's raid" had re- 



364 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

vealed to the Soutliern people their weakness in a 
more alarming view than they had ever before seen 
it. It seemed, in their case, that the last straw had 
been laid upon the camel's back, and the overloaded 
beast was unable to rise. 

The most of the way I enjoyed my journey finely. 
Sometimes I would lay over several days, on account 
of rain and bad roads. Wherever I stopped I found 
something to interest me. I made it a point to make 
myself as interesting and agreeable to the people that 
entertained me as possible. 

I spent three weeks in Florida. There I found the 
people more disheartened than anywhere else in my 
route ; in fact, resistance to the Federal army had 
been given up. During my stay there I spent sev- 
eral days with a planter by the name of Fanshaw, 
who lives near the coast, at St. Mark's. He was 
formerly from the State of New York, I passed my- 
self while there by my real name, and as a brother 
of General Ruggles, and represented that I was on 
my way home to Bolivar County, Mississippi, from 
Savannah, Georgia, wiiere I had been on business 
pertaining to the Confederate Government. I gave 
him such an account of the general state of aflairs all 
over the Confederate States that he did not doubt, in 
the least, the statements that I made. When I called 
at his house I had no intention of remaining there 
long, but his hospitality was so strongly urged upon 
me that I accepted it to enable my horse to rest. 

During my stay there I was much amused by read- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 365 

ing a story in a Mississippi journal, wliicli was handed 
V,o me by Miss Ella F. She remarked that it was one 
of the curious events of the war. Little did she 
think, in handing me the paper, she was making it 
doubly so. This account will serve to show the dif- 
ference between truth and fiction, and how much 
many of the writers of the present day make out 
of a little fact. How the paper had made its way 
there I cannot tell. 

The story was written by Mr. James D , of the 

14th Illinois Infantiy. Sergeant Downs, of the 20th 
Ohio, had related to Mr. D several of the inci- 
dents in my experience as scout ; and from one of 
these he wrote the romance, in which T figured as 
the hero, giving, instead of my full name, only the 
initial letters, together with the name of my com- 
pany and regiment. It was given as a narrative of 
facts, with an announcement that an extended history 
of my services would be forthcoming from the able 
pen of Captain Downs. It was first published in 
1863, as before mentioned. 

Coming to me as it did, under such peculiar cir- 
cumstances, it was exceedingly amusing. I took good 
care, however, that my lady friend did not find out 
that I was the hero of the story. My feelings at the 
time can be better imagined by perusing it. It ran 
as follows : 

"On board the magnificent steamer 'Imperial,' 
on her passage from St. Louis to New Orleans, in the 
month of October, a. d., 1860, reclining upon one of 



366 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

those elegantly-furnished sofas in her sumptuous 
cabin, might have been seen the hero of our story/ 
wrapped in a ' brown study.' 

" His form was attractive and commanding; some- 
thing over a medium size, and well proportioned. 
His features were pleasant, and his hair brown and 
wavy, extending in a rich profusion of glossy curls 
down over his shoulders. His eyes were of a deep 
blue, and as sharp and piercing as those of an eagle. 
His forehead was broad and high, imparting a look 
of more than usual intelligence ; indeed, he was what 
might be called a handsome fellow, and, though he 
had passed the age of five-and-twenty, he looked as 

fair and fresh as though but twenty-one. Ij 

H (the subject of our sketch) was a resident of 

Ohio, but was then on his way to New Orleans on 
business. 

"It is said that he once loved a beautiful and 
accomplished young lady of an amiable disposition, 
and, withal, of no inconsiderable wealth ; but upon 
the very day on which they were to have been united 
in marriage, he followed her remains to her long- 
home. Three years had passed, but he had found no 
fair one to fill the heart thus made vacant. 

"As he reclines upon the sofa, he is meditating 
upon the strange vicissitudes of life. Recollections 
of scenes in his own experience pass vividly before 
him, and, as if but j'csterday, he strolls for the last 
time in the green meadow. Just as the declining sun 
is shedding his last lingering rays across the land- 
scape, accompanied by his own angelic Belinda, and 



SCOUT AND SPY. 367 

as they are about to pass the gate to her lixther's 
house, they pause for a moment, and, with her soft 
fingers playfully twirling his glossy curls, she presses 
her lips to his, and whispers, ' My ovm dear L /' 

" Since then three summers have passed without 
obliterating the blank in his heart caused by the 
transfer of his fair one to the spirit-land, and he won- 
ders whether, indeed, there was but one heart on 
earth whose emotions of love can soften Ms. Again 
and again he recalls the scenes of love's sunny hours 
until his eyes are suffused with tears. Dashing them 
away, he starts from his seat and mingles with the 
gay crowd that are passengers with him. 

"Among that throng was a young man by the 
name of Charles Rollins, who had just finished a 
course of education at one of our northern colleges, 
and was then on his way home. He was a young 
ma,n of an ardent temperament, of fine appearance 
and accomplished manners. His parents resided at 
Natchez, Mississippi. 

"L sought relief from the recollections that 

had passed, by seeking to make the acquaintance of 
those around him. The fine manly bearing of Charles 
attracted his attention, and he at once sought an in- 
terview, which proved to be agreeable. Frequent 
interviews were had, and their acquaintance soon 
ripened into friendship. 

" Charles had a sister — an only one — by the name 
of Annie. She was then entering upon her twent}^- 
iburth year ; and though not in the strict sense of 
the word handsome, she was, nevertheless, good- 



368 TBE GREAT AMERICAN 

looking, and possessed, of what is of more conse- 
qnence than beauty, all the graces that adorn the 
life of a devoted, exemplary Christian. She had 
early embraced the Christian religion ; and her pure 
devotion, genial nature, and agreeable manners, won 
for her the love and respect of all who knew her. 

" Annie had received the attentions of several 
young men of unexceptionable character and reputa- 
tion, possessed, withal, of that worldly competence 
and business tact that would have placed her, be- 
yond doubt, above want; yet, strange to say, she 
saw reason to decline their offers. Why she had 
failed to love was known, if at all, only to herself. 
Her parents would have been pleased had their 
daughter been united in holy wedlock to a worthy 
young man that she loved ; nevertheless, they had 
too much respect for her judgment to question the 
propriety of her decisions and the reasons for them, 
and the only reason, perhaps, that they could assign 
was that old and common one, ' matches are made in 
heaven.' 

"The entire passage from St. Louis passed off 
agreeably to our new-made friends, and, sooner than 
they could have wished it, the signal was sounded to 

land at the beautiful town of Natchez. L was 

unable to refuse the pressing invitation from Charles 
to stop and spend a few days, or at least a night, 
with him at his father's house. 

"It is unnecessary to describe the introduction 
that followed, or the w^elcome that was extended. 
Suffice it to say, the journey was not renewed the 



SCOUT AND SPY. 369 

next day, nor the next. A week rolled around, and 
then another, and another, until three months had 

passed, and still L was a welcome guest at the 

home of the Eollinses. At the end of that period 
L E, and Annie were engaged to be married. 

"At last business became so urgent that L 

was obliged to resume his journey to New Orleans. 
The hour came for departure, and he sought a last 
interview with Annie, and gave her the parting fare- 
well. 

"During the winter of 1860 and '61, the country, 
North and South, had become agitated with political 
excitement, which ran so high that the two sections 
seemed in imminent danger of becoming involved in 
a civil war. The South claimed that the North had 
encroached upon her rights, and even went so far as 
to threaten to withdraw from the Federal compact 
and take up the sword in vindication of her rights. 

"As L— — was about to leave, Annie still clung 

to him, saying : * My dear L , before you leave 

me, I want you to make me one promise.' 

"'Well, Annie, what is it?' 

"'You know, L , that our nation is being 

shaken to its centre by political excitement, and it is 
more than probable that before I shall see you again 
the Southern States will secede from the Union, and 
the country become involved in war. Promise me 
that in case the South becomes engaged in war with 
the North, you will not take up arms against her.' 

" 'My dear Annie, as much as I love you, I can- 
not make you that promise. The North is my birtli- 

i6* 



370 niE GREAT AMERICAN 

place and home. I love and respect the flag under 
which T was cradled, and if the country needs my 
services to preserve her glorious nationality, I am 
under sacred obligations to render assistance.' 

"She pressed his hand warmly and drew him 
closer to her fond embrace ; her eyes filled with tears 
and her bosom heaved with emotion as she said, 
' Make me, then, at least this promise — if the country 
does become involved in war, with you upon one side 
and Charles upon the other, and jovl should chance 

to meet him as your enemy, will you, dearest L , 

spare my hr other ? ' 

" ' Yes,' he uttered, as he imprinted a farewell kiss 
upon her lips. 

" Time rolled on, and, as had been anticipated, one 
after another of the Southern States seceded and took 
up arms against the North, and involved the country 
in a civil war. Charles Rollins, as his sister had 
feared, identified himself with the interest of his own 
State, and enlisted in a Mississippi regiment of in- 
fantry. Ij R , true to his countr}- and his 

country's flag, rallied at the first call of the President 
to save it from destruction. 

" His devoted patriotism and his obstinate bravery 
in the hour of battle, won for him the confidence of 
his commanding ofiicers, who often sent him on mis- 
sions of danger. The Commander-in-chief, having 
learned of his reliability, address, and daring, fre- 
quently sent him to obtain information of the enemy's 
movements. 

"In November, 1861, preparatory to moving the 



SCOUT AND SPY. 371 

grand army south into Mississippi, and while the 
troops were being concentrated in the vicinity of 

Lagrange, Tenn., General Grant sent Mr. R out, 

on horseback, to find the enemy's advanced pickets. 
It was in the night, and extremely dark, which render- 
ed the undertaking a hazardous one. He felt his way 
along Avith the utmost caution, and had made a dis- 
tance of twenty miles, when, in the midnight darkness, 
not six feet in advance of him, he was confronted by 
a single sentry, standing in the middle of the road, 
who challenged him with ' Halt ! who comes there ? ' 

"It was a desperate situation, and Mr. R de- 
termined to make the most of it. ' Friend, with the 
countersign,' he answered, drawing his revolver. 

"'Advance and give the countersign,' was the 
reply. 

He did so, and, thrusting his revolver to the breast 
of the sentry, fired. The flash of his piece revealed 
to him the face of Charles Rollins ! 'Oh heavens! ' he 
cried, and sprang from his horse and embraced the 
fallen form. ' Charles ! Charles ! speak ! if but once ; 
for God's sake, speak ! ' 

"It was too late; the ball had penetrated his 
heart, and Charles Avas dead. The sharp report 
aroused his sleeping companions, who were l3ing b}^ 
the roadside, a little distance from him, and the 
noise they made as thc}^ sprang for their guns warned 

Ij of his danger, who quickly s})rang to his j^ad- 

dle and dashed away unharmed, but not without being 
fired at by the remaining pickets. He made a safe 
return, and reported to General Grant, but since 



372 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

that time his acquaintances have noticed that he has 
become a changed man." 

I arrived at General Granger's headquarters in 
Mobile, Alabama, April 9, 1865, the next day after 
the capture of Blakely. I had travelled in all, since 
leaving Savannah, a distance of nine hundred miles, 
and that without molestation. 

During my journey, two of the most important 
events of the war had transpired. General Lee had 
surrendered his command to General Grant, and 
General Johnston had surrendered his command to 
General Sherman. Kirby Smith's command, west of 
the Mississippi, was the only armed force that had 
not surrendered. 

The returned Confederate soldiers, wherever I met 
them in my route, had expressed themselves as satis- 
fied with their attempt to sustain the Confederacy, 
and gave it up as a lost cause. " Experience" is said 
to be the "best school-master." The Confederate 
soldiers evidently thought so. 

A few days after my arrival, the intelligence was 
received that President Lincoln had been murdered. 
It was too sad intelligence for the soldiers to believe, 
nor would they believe it until officially confirmed. 
Then their anger knew no bounds, and it was with 
the utmost difficulty that commanding officers re- 
strained their men from committing retaliatory dep- 
redations. 

In the midst of a nation's rejoicing, she was called 
to mourn the death of the man who had steered the 
Ship of State clear of the shoals that threatened 



SCOUT AND SPY. 373 

her destruction, who was swept from the helm as 
the ship was just entering the haven of peace, and 
within sight of her desired moorings. While it was 
hard to deprive him thus of the sweet anticipations in 
prospect before him, it was nevertheless i)ermitted, 
in the wise directions of a benelicent Providence. 
The murder of Abraham Lincoln was the closing act 
of the great rebellion. The picture of the scene, re- 
volting as it had been, seemed incomplete until the 
dark finishing shades had been added by the hand of 
an assassin. 

The war was now virtually closed, and during our 
stay at Mobile General Granger had nothing for me 
to do. In July he moved to New Orleans, taking 
most of his troops with him. It was generally sup- 
posed that we were going there to take transports 
home to our respective States, to be mustered out ; 
but in this we were disappointed. At that place 
General Granger ordered me to report to the Pro- 
vost-marshal for duty as a detective. Why I was so 
often selected for such duty is more than I can tell. 
If I had all other necessary qualifications for that 
business, my dislike for it was so great as to over- 
come them. I went to the Provost-marshal with my 
order, and told him that I was at his disposal for 
duty, but that I had objections to engaging in that 
kind of service — not that I was unwilling to obey my 
superior officers, but simply because I had a dislike 
for the business that it was impossible for me to over- 
come. I told him that I had twice tried to operate 
as a detective and had failed, and the more I tried it 



374 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

the less I liked it. It was a kind of duty that was 
not congenial to my nature, and it seemed to me like 
low business. I was satisfied that there were those 
who were better adapted to such business than I, but 
if he insisted upon it I Avould go to work and do the 
best that I could. 

He told me that he had but very little detective 
business to do, and that he did not wish to have me 
engaged in business that was not agreeable to my 
feelings. He told me to return to Greneral Granger's 
headquarters, and that if he found occasion to need 
my services he would send for me. 

I have since had reason to suspect that setting me 
to work as a detective was simply a show of some- 
thing for me to do, on the part of commanding offi- 
cers, that I might be retained in the service longer, 
lest, in the future, something might turn up that 
would give them occasion to need me. At that time 
there was great clamoring among the soldiers to be 
mustered out, and orders had been issued to muster 
out all detached men who were not actively engaged. 

We remained in New Orleans until the latter part 
of July, when we embarked on board the transports 
and went to Gralveston, Texas. At that place there 
was as little for me to do as there had been in New 
Orleans. Having no use for me, General Granger 
sent me to Columbus, Texas, a distance of one hun- 
dred and sixty miles inland, to report to General 
Grierson. 

I made the journey alone and on horseback, dressed 
as a citizen. For the last year and a half of my ser- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 375 

vice, I very rarely wore anything but. a citizen's 
dress. I occupied five days in making the journey, 
and got through to General Gricrson's headquarters 
without having experienced a single incident of inter- 
est. That kind of scouting was dry business to me. 
It is excitement that makes the life of a scout inter- 
esting. 

In September General Grierson sent me alone to 
the Upper Colorado, a distance of four hundred miles, 
with instructions to see whether the rebs were con- 
centrating a force or fortifying at any point along the 
river. I made the trip on horseback, in my usual 
citizen's dress. Yery much of the distance was 
sparsely settled, which rendered my journey at least 
a lonesome one. A naturalist, no doubt, would have 
found in that route enough to have made a volume 
interesting, but to me nothing was of so much interest 
as the end of my journey. During the entire route it 
was the same dull monotony day after da}*. 

On my return, and when within four days' ride of 
Columbus, I fell in with a party of outlaws number- 
ing forty men. They wore uniforms exactly like 
General Gricrson's cavalry, and had United States 
saddles and carbines. At first I supposed that they 
were a detachment of his command, but fortunately 
I discovered my mistake before having told who I 
was. They plundered indiscriminately, but left the 
impression, wherever they went, that they were a 
detachment of United States troops, acting under 
General Gricrson's orders. I travelled with them 
three days. 



376 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

As soon as I found out what thc}^ were I proposed 
to join their organization. This I did for my own 
safety. I represented myself as having been a planter 
in Mississippi, and that I had lost all my property by 
the war — a part of it by the Confederate army and a 
part of it by the Lincoln army ; and I also told them 
that I was determined to get my property back in 
some way, and did not care how I did it, nor who I 
got it from. My proposition was accepted, and it was 
arranged that I should go on to Columbus and trans- 
act some business that I had there, and, if possible, 
secure by some means, fair or foul, a uniform, saddle, 
and carbine, and then return to a certain plantation 
that the}^ would show me in our route. 

The last day that I was with them, we passed the 
plantation to which I was to return when I had com- 
pleted my business at Columbus. Toward night they 
plundered a rich planter who had never been at heart 
really disloyal. He had acted with the Confederate 
Grovernment simply because compelled to, but at his 
earliest opportunity had taken the required oath. As 
the outlaws were taking his property he remonstrated, 
and told them that he was a Union man, and that 
General Grrierson had promised to protect him. They 
told him that he w^as no Union man, but a lying se- 
cesh. They insulted him shamefully, and then, having 
secured what plunder they wanted, made their way 
off, leaving him to suppose that the outrage had been 
committed b}^ Federal cavalry. 

During my ride with them I became quite familiar 
with their countenances, and also learned where sev- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 377 

cral of them resided. I also found out that they did 
expect, when on a plundering expedition, to remain 
in a body, but separated to their homes, meeting oc- 
casionally, however, to arrange for new expeditions, 
but never twice in the same place, lest their haunts 
might be discovered. Shortly after plundering the 
planter that I have mentioned, they turned off on 
another road and left me to pursue my journey 
alone. 

After reporting to Greneral Grierson the result of 
my trip, I mentioned the incident about the outlaws, 
and their having plundered the planter, ])ut did not 
tell him that I had agreed to return to them. The 
day following my report, the planter came in with 
complaint to Greneral G-rierson that his cavalry had 
plundered him of his horses and mules, and other 
property, and also had shamefully insulted him. 

General Grierson was surprised to hear such com- 
plaints, and told the man that he must be mistaken ; 
but he insisted that he knew they Avere his men ; 
they had United States uniforms, saddles, and car- 
bines exactly like his men. The General then called 
the Adjutant, to know whether he had sent a detach- 
ment out, but none had been sent. The planter still 
insisted that it Avas United States cavalry that com- 
mitted the outrage. Recalling to mind what I had 
reported to him the day before, the General mis- 
trusted who had done it, and sent for me. I at once 
recognized the planter as the one whom I had seen 
plundered by the outlaws. 

The next day I accompanied a detachment of cav- 



378 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

airy, in disguise, to hunt up the outlaws. We pro- 
ceeded at once to the residences of those that I had 
learned, and were so fortunate as to find them at 
home, all of whom we captured. I took good care to 
be seen by them as little as possible. I do not think 
I was recognized b}- any of the number that we cap- 
tured. Every one of them were loud in their declara- 
tions of good behavior, and expressed astonishment 
that they should be so treated. The arrest of a part 
of the band put a damper upon the rest, and they 
cleared out, or ceased their operations. I heard of 
no more complaints during the time I remained 
there. 

From what experience I have had in the secret 
service, I am of the opinion that the Government 
has been entirely too lenient with that class of men. 
Nothing but the severest penalty of the law will ever 
stop them from their depredations. They will con- 
tinue to give trouble in the South so long as they are 
allowed to run at large. They are possessed of none 
of the finer feelings of humanity that can be reached 
by moral suasion, and nothing but physical restraint 
can control them. 

Sympathy for those that have erred is a commend- 
able element in the human heart, but when carried 
to extremes is productive of disastrous results. I 
think the entire secession clement of the South has 
received, and is novr receiving, more favor at the 
hands of the Government than is consistent for the 
safety of our republican institutions. People who 
have committed crime should be made to feel that 



SCOUT AND SPY. 379 

they have done so, by inflicting upon them the proper 
penalty. Let rebels prove themselves " prodigal 
sons" before being embraced in the arms of onr good 
Uncle Sara. 

On the 2d day of December, 18G5, I received an 
order from General Grant to proceed to Columbus, 
Ohio, for discharge. On my arrival there I reported 
to the Provost-marshal, who refused to discharge me, 
because I had no copy of the orders under which 1 
had reported from one commanding officer to another. 
My business had been such that it was not safe for 
me to carry them, and, for the same reason, my orders 
were generally given orally. I went to General Leg- 
gett and told him my difficulty, who at once wrote 
me a statement to Captain Barber, Provost-marshal, 
setting forth his knowledge of my services, and why 
I had not preserved my orders of detail. General 
Wiles also gave me a similar statement, of which the 
following are copies : 



" Zanesyille, C, February 15, 1866. 

" Captain Barber, Provost-marshal : 

" Dear Sir :— Coq^oral Lorain Buggies, Co. H, 20th O. 
V. V. I., repoi-ts to me that he has difficulty in obtaining a 
discharge from the service. Corporal Kuggles was used, 
during the whole war, as a scout and spy. I first assigned 
him to that service early in the summer of 18G2. His great 
success made him a favorite with all general officers having 
charge of secret ser^'ice. He was, at different times, imder 
the immediate direction of Generals Force, Eoss, Logan, 
McPherson, Blair, Grant, and others, generally remaining, 



380 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

when not on active duty, at my headquarters. The nature 
of his services was such that he could not carry details, 
passes, or orders, and details could not be waited for by 
officers when he was needed, and, in fact, were very seldom 
made in such cases. 

" Corporal Ruggles was regarded as one of the most suc- 
cessful and reliable spies in the United States service, and 
Avas always called upon for desperate service where others 
would fail, and was equal to the imdertaking. 

" I hope you wiU secure him such a discharge as wUl 
enable him to draw his pay. He has been a most worthy 
soldier. I doubt whether any man of his rank has d«ne 
more for his country. 

" Very respectfully, " M. D. Leggett, 

" Late 3Iajor- General of Volunteers^'' 

" Zanesville, O., February 17, 1866. 
" Captain Barber, Provost-marshal, Columbus, Ohio : 

" Dear Sir — I certify that I have long known Corporal 
Lorain Ruggles, of the 20th O. Y. V. I. (Said regiment 
was one of the regiments comprising the brigade which I 
had the honor to command.) I further certify that I have 
known Corporal Ruggles as a scout and spj since about the 
month of June or July, 1862. He was in the secret service, 
under orders from Generals Grant, Sherman, McPherson, 
Leggett, Force, Ross, and others. He was regarded as one 
of the best and most reliable scouts connected with our 
army, and, in my judgment, has perform-ed as much valua- 
ble service as any man in it, and I have no doubt but he is 
entitled to an honorable discharge, although he m^j be 
unable to account for his absence from his regiment and 
company by exhibiting the necessary documents. The 
most of his details were oral, being ordered by one officer 
to report to another officer for special duty. I have used 
him myself for scouting, by permission of the commanding 



SCOUT AND SPY. 381 

General. It is with pleasure tliat I add this my testimony 
in favor of a gallant and trustworthy soldier. 

" I am, Captain, respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" G. r. Wiles, 
''Late Colonel 78th 0. V. V. L, Brevet Brig.- Gen." 

Generals Leggett and Wiles have my thanks for 
the kind interest thus, and upon all other occasions, 
manifested in my behalf. With these letters, I was 
enabled to get a discharge from the service that I am 
proud of, and Avhich I value more than all the gold 
that I might have made in dishonest traffic Avith out- 
laws. I have never been sorry that I followed Gen- 
eral Grant's advice. 

After having received my discharge, I experienced 
trouble in getting my pay. I could scarcely get the 
Pa^^master to look at me, let alone paying me. Find- 
ing that I could prevail nothing upon the Paymaster 
at Columbus, I reported at once, in person, to Lieu- 
tenant-General Grant, at Washington, D. C, and 
told him my troubles. He caused my papers to be 
lixed so that I not only received all my pay proper, 
clothing account, etc., but my special service pay. 
Here I would express to General Grant my gratitude 
lor the pains he has taken to instruct me in the class 
of duties tliat I have had to perform, and for his per- 
sonal interest in my Avelfare. I am indebted to all 
the Generals for whom I have served for their kind- 
ness, and the instructions they have given me, and 
especially so to Generals Grant, Logan, McPherson, 
Leggett, Force, Eoss, Potts, and Wiles. I always 
found a welcome at their headquarters. 



>82 THE GREAT AMERICAN 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

Ludicrous effect of fear — A Corporal outflanks a Captain — A good Union 
man — A touching appeal — A scene among the wounded — An old Se- 
cesh discovers his mistake — Suggestioas from experience — Concluding 
thoughts. 

In looking back over my experience, I can recall 
to my mind man}^ little incidents not included in the 
preceding narratives. 

I once came near getting into difficulty by not 
properly doing my duty while on picket. It was at 
Sliiloh Church, a few weeks after the battle, and 
while the main part of the army was engaged in 
besieging Corinth. The entire regiment was more 
or less troubled with that terrible scourge of the 
army, camp diarrhea, and the men were constantly 
contriving some way to get through the picket line 
in search of chickens and fresh vegetables. 

One morning, soon after I had taken my post on 
picket duty for the first time in my life — I was a 
corporal of the guard— a squad of men from my own 
company came down to my p<)st. without passes, and 
said that they wanted to go out and get some vegeta- 
bles, and, if I would pass them, they would divide 
with me when they came in, to which I assented. 

Toward night they came back to my post, and left, 
as my share of the proceeds of the trip, two very fat 
chickens, and a nice lot of onions, lettuce, and rad- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 383 

ishcs. It so happened that just after the iiieii left 
the post for camp, Captain Rogers, of my regiment, 
who was in command of the guard, made his appear- 
ance to inspect tlie condition of his men, and, dis- 
covering the party who had just left, mistrusted that 
I had passed them in, and, of course, took me to task 
about it. 

"Did those men come through the lines here?" 
inquired the Captain. 

" Yes, sir," I answered. 

"Did they have passes?" 

" I don't know whether they did or not. I did not 
ask them." 

" Did they go out here this morning?" 

"Yes, sir." 

" Did you allow them to go out Avithout passes ? " 

" I didn't ask them for passes. I didn't know they 
needed them. They said that they were going after 
vegetables, and I know that they needed them bad 
enough, so I supposed it was all right." 

" What were you placed here for?" 

"To watch the enemy, I suppose. I did not know 
that I had to watch my friends." 

" Well, sir, if you don't know j^our duty better than 
that, 3'ou are not fit to be a Cori)oral. I"ll report you 
to the Colonel, sir, and have you reduced." 

The Captain then went on and left me to my own 
reflections. I cared very little about being an eightli 
Corporal, and yet I disliked the idea of becoming dis- 
graced by being reduced. I dressed my chickefis 
nicely, and laid them away. As soon as the relief 



384 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

came out, I started across the woods to camp. Taking 
my nicest chicken and some of my best vegetables in 
my hands, I repaired to the Colonel's tent. I kne\y 
that he had been quite complaining, and unable to 
procure what vegetables he needed. On entering, I 
saluted him as politely as I knew how, and then said : 
" Colonel, I knew that you was not very well, and I 
thought you would relish some chicken and fresh veg- 
etables. Will you accept them ? " 

" Thank you, thank you. Corporal," said he, taking 
them, and looking very much pleased. " They are 
just what I wanted exactly. Were you on picket 
yesterday ?" 

" Yes, sir, and I expect that I have incurred your 
displeasure.*' 

" Why so?" 

"Well, Colonel, I'll tell you. It's the first time 
that I was ever on picket, and I did not know what 
the duty of a Corporal was. There were some men 
from the regiment came down and wanted to go out. 
and I let them go without passes, and the Captain 
says that he is going to report me for it. I am very 
sorry. Colonel, that I did it, and if you will forgive 
me this time I won't do so again." 

"Picket duty. Corporal, is one of the most respon- 
sible duties of the soldier. It should always be faith- 
fully discharged. Since this is the first offence, I'll 
overlook it, if you will do better in the future." 

"Thank you. Colonel; I will certainly do better 
the next time." 

Just as I came out the Captain entered ; so I re- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 8$6 

mainecl where I could hear the conversation that fol- 
lowed. After the usual salutation, he said: "I am 
soiT}^, Colonel, that I am under tlie necessity of re- 
porting to 3"0u one of the corporals under my com- 
mand 3"esterday for a non-performance of duty.'' 

" Was it Corporal Ruggles?" inquired the Colonel. 

'' Yes, sir; he — " 

" Never mind. Captain ; he reported himself this 
morning and promised to do better, and I forgave 
him this offence." 

When the Captain came out, I noticed that he 
felt considerably worked up at being outflanked by 
a corporal. 

It is oftentimes affecting to witness the heroic man- 
ner in which soldiers endure their sufferings, whether 
from sickness or wounds. 

There was in my company a man by the name of 
Frank Rickard, who, for several months, had been 
careless about writing to his mother, who was a widow. 
At last the poor widoAv's heart could stand the sus- 
pense no longer, and she wrote to a daughter, then 
living in the State of Indiana, to assist her in her 
efforts to find out what had become of Frank. The 
sister immediately wrote to the Captain of the com- 
pany to learn the fate of her brother. The neglect 
on the part of Frank to Avrite was not for lack of 
affection, but simply because of a careless habit. At 
last Frank was taken sick with a fever, and rapidly 
grew worse. The regiment was preparing to move 
from Paducah, Ky., up the Tennessee River, and it 
became necessary to leave Frank in the hospital. 

17 



386 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

Just a few moments before he was to be carried off 
from the boat, his Captain received the letter from 
his sister, inquiring what had become of Frank. The 
Captain carried the letter to him and read it, and then 
said, " Frank, what shall I write to your sister?" 

He thought a moment, and then, his eyes filling 
with tears, he said: "Oh, for God's sake, Captain, 
don't tell sister how sick I am!'''' 

It was affecting indeed to see the heroism with 
which that dear boy suffered, and his affectionate 
and tender regard for his sister ; was unwilling that 
she should know the extent of his sufferings, lest she 
should worry about him. 

" Brave boy ! he has gone at his country's call." 

The first mail after we left him brought the sad in- 
telligence that Frank was dead. 

Wounded soldiers generally manifest a cheerful 
resignation to their lot that is astonishino; to those who 
have never witnessed it. Sometimes, however, ex- 
ceptions occur. I often think of an incident that I 
witnessed in which two extremes met. 

After the battle of Matamora, where General Hurl- 
but's command routed General Price's army, on its 
retreat after having been repulsed in its assault upon 
Corinth, I assisted in taking care of the wounded as 
they were brought in. Among the sufferers on that 
day was a Captain, with a flesh wound in the arm, 
and a private, with a leg dreadfully shattered below 
the knee. Tlie Captain — though his wound was not 
of a serious nature — gave w^ay to his feelings, and 
took on dreadfully, and frequently called upon the 



SCOUT AND SPY. 387 

doctor to come and dress his wound or lie should die. 
The private, then on the table, preparatory to an 
amputation of his limb, was heroically cool, and 
scarce a groan escaped his lips. At length his nerves 
could no longer stand the ridiculous clamor of the 
Captain, and he called out, "Captain, if you don't 
hush your gab until the doctor gets my leg off I'll 
throw it at you." 

The soldier endured the operation manfully, and 
the Captain took the hint and "dried up" his noise. 
It is not hard to tell which of the two was the bravest 
man. 

I was once very much amused by the mistake of a 
very old man. It happened in this way. I had been 
sent out on a scout, and was returning to camp, when 
I called at a plantation-house to get breakfast for 
myself and squad. Sitting upon the porch in front 
of the house was a very old man — a secesh — engaged 
in twisting up tobacco. He had a large pile of it 
before him already twisted. He had never seen any 
soldiers from either army. As we came up to the 
porch he kept on at his work, without being in the 
least alarmed at our appearance. We procured what 
breakfast we wanted, and were about to leave, when, 
addressing the old man, I said: " Hoav do you do, 
daddy?" 

"Speak a little louder," said the old man ; "I'm 
hard of hearing." 

''How do yon do, daddy?''' said I again, louder 
than before. 

"Oh, I'm pretty well, I thank you. I'm a little 



o88 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

tired now. I've got ten or twelve little grandsons 
down in General Yillipigue's army, and I heard that 
they were out of tobatico, and I thought I'd twist up 
some and take down to ?em." 

"Boys," said I to the squad, "if you had rather 
the rebs would have that tobacco than to have it 
yourselves, let it alone." 

At that the boys made a spring for the tobacco. 

' ' Hut, tut, tut ! " said the old man, looking won- 
derfully surprised; "I guess I was mistaken. I 
thought you were our soldiers; but I guess, from your 
actions, you are Yankees.'^ 

On leaving a service that has been fraught with as 
much danger as mine has been, it is not improper, 
perhaps, for me to leave on record the conclusions 
suggested by that experience. 

Few, if any, of my contemjooraries who started in 
the business as early as I did are now living. I know 
of none that are living who operated in the depart- 
ments Avhere I did, and who commenced at the time 
and continued as long as I did. Of eighteen (includ- 
ing myself) that began the service with me, I am the 
only one that continued through the war. Fifteen of 
that number were killed in less than two years, and 
two were disgraced for bad conduct. 

When I look back upon what I have experienced, 
it seems a wonder to me that my life has been spared. 
Others, whom I thought were my superiors in all the 
necessary qualifications, have sacrificed their lives in 
their line of duty. 

It may be thought by some that a scout is of neces- 



SCOUT AND SPY. 389 

sity that hardened, reckless character that is in- 
sensible to the dangers that surround him ; but that 
is a mistake. It is true that ^Yar is hardening to the 
liner sensibilities, but, nevertheless, if a man is 
unconscious of the danger of his undertaking, he is 
not apt to exercise the necessary precautionary meas- 
ures to insure his safety, and, consequently, fails in 
his mission. 

I can now look back and see how I might have 
done better. I commenced the business without hav- 
ing had experience, and, consequently, I had all to 
learn as I went along. At first I only ventured a 
short distance out, and thought I had done extremely 
well if I reached camp unharmed. I increased grad- 
ually the extent of my expeditions, until I succeeded 
in making trips of several hundred miles in length. 

An adaptation of means to the end to be accom- 
plished is of as much importance in scouting and spy- 
ing, as in any other branch of business. The very 
business itself is an evasion of what you really are, 
or assuming to be what j'ou are not ; consequently, 
an evasion of the truth is often necessary to accom- 
plish the purpose. To be successful as a spy, it is 
absolutely necessary to be able to act an assumed 
character. 

The disguise of the individual and his plans of 
operations must be adapted to the particular time and 
place, and his success must depend greatly upon his 
address. Generals have frequentty told me, before 
going out, how to address myself to the undertaking ; 
but, as it is impossible to know beforehand the cir- 



390 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

cumstances under which one will be placed, it is 
necessary that a man be of ready address, in order 
to adapt himself to any unexpected state of affairs 
that he might find. 

Presence of mind, when suddenly and unexpected- 
ly confronted, is very essential. When a man in 
that situation is thrown off his guard, his condition 
can rarely be retrieved. 

A man should never lose confidence in his own 
case, nor despair of escape if captured ; if he does, 
his case becomes hopeless. Never was I in a situa- 
tion where hope entirely left me. 

A. spy should have "as little superfluous or unneces- 
sary conversation as possible. His information should 
mainly be derived from observation. I once came 
across a spy that General Grant had sent out, who 
was an inveterate talker. I was alarmed for his safety, 
and, as soon as an opportunity occurred, I said to 
him, "You talk too much. General Grant requires 
us not to talk." The fellow made fun of my advice. 
What became of him I do not know ; he never re- 
turned to our lines. 

Scouts sometimes get frightened ; I have been. So 
do commanding ofiicers and enlisted men. I have 
known a Major-General to dodge at the whiz of a 
bullet, and a whole regiment to become stampeded 
by a runaway mule ! The best of men are sometimes 
the victims of fear. It should, however, be guarded 
against. 

I made a practice of getting all the information 
that I could, without exposing myself to the danger of 



SCOUT AND SPY. 391 

recognition, concerning the different regiments in the 
Confederate service. It was often of great service to 
rae to know where sncli regiments were raised, and 
who commanded them, and also what brigades, divi- 
sions, and departments they were in. The names 
and residence of prominent individuals were also of 
great service to me. A knowledge of the language 
and habits of the people, wherever a spy travels, is 
of great advantage. I have no idea that I would 
have succeeded as I did if I had not lived in the 
South before the war commenced. 

I have been very successful in managing scouting 
and forage parties. I attribute it to the fact that I 
always watched for myself and my men. I have 
known several officers and their details to get cap- 
tured because of depending entirely on the men to do 
the watching. Men become careless in such duties, 
and a surprise is often the consequence. 

In ray travels in the enemy's country as a spy, I 
was very particular to observe the features of the 
country through which I passed — whether wooded, 
cultivated, level, or hilly ; the condition of the roads 
— whether hard, sandy, or wet ; the condition of the 
streams and their location— v/hether fordablc or not, 
and the manner of crossing and the nature of their 
banks. Also, the location of springs and wells, and 
the supply of water that they afforded. Such informa- 
tion is of great value to a commanding officer. 

There is great responsibility resting upon a scout 
and spy. If his reports are reliable, the commanding 
officer knows how to execute his movements success- 



392 THE GREAT AMERTCAN^ 

fully ; but if his reports are false, and the command- 
ing officer relies upon them as truth, the probability 
is that his movements will end in disaster, Avith 
a sacrifice of hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of 
lives. 

It is far better for a scout, if he fails to accomplish 
his mission, to report it a failure, for, sooner or later, 
it will be found out. It is mortifying to fail in one's 
mission, but that is of little consequence compared 
with jeopardizing a whole army. I have several 
times failed to accomplish my mission, but my re- 
ports of such failures have always tended to increase 
the confidence of my employers in my reliability. 

Having finished my services for the Government, I 
am once more a citizen, engaged in the pursuits of 
civil life. I have " beaten my sword into a plough- 
share," and my bayonet into a "pruning-hook," and 
have become a resident of the "Far West ;"' and though 
I "became a changed man," and did not take for a 
better half " Miss Annie," nevertheless I am married 
and settled in life, and can look back with proud sat- 
isfaction upon the result of my labors. 

Jso^Y, reader, you have followed me in my humble 
career from the commencement of the war to its close, 
and you are able to discern with approximate cor- 
rectness whether the part I have acted, in sustaining 
the noble institutions of our great Eepublic, has been 
of au}^ benefit. 

The war is now over. The flag of our country 
again proudly floats over the entire domain. Peace, 
prosperit}^, and the pursuit of happiness have taken 



SCOUT AND SPY. 393 

the place of deadly strife. In place of teaching the 
art of war, we are now enlarging our commerce and 
friendly intercourse. In a few years the blackened 
trail of contending armies will smile with luxuriant 
harvests. 

We have the satisfaction of knowing that American 
liberty still exists ; that the institutions inaugurated 
by the hardships and sufferings of our forefathers, 
baptized with their blood, and consecrated by their 
prayers, are renewed and perpetuated. The prin- 
ciples that they struggled to maintain still live. 

The fires of patriotism that were kindled in the 
bosoms and flashed in flames of heroic valor at Lex- 
ington, Bunker Hill, Saratoga, and Yorktown, still 
Inirn in the bosoms of their children's children, and 
liave burst forth in glorious illuminations of valor upon 
such fields as Donelson, Yicksburg, Antietam, At- 
lanta, and Richmond. 

The heroes of this war have proved themselves 
worthy of their ancestry, and have baptized and con- 
secrated anew their . precious inheritance b}" giving 
their best blood for its maintenance. 

Never were pra3"ers more devoutly and fervently 
uttered, never did blood more freely flow, never was 
treasure more extensively lavished, or individual 
sacrifice more cheerfully borne, than in the war from 
which we have just emerged. 

Our children and children's children will look back 
upon our deeds of valor and sacrifice with the same 
feelings of respect that we cherish for the fathers of 
the Revolution, and the institutions which we have 



394 THE GREAT AMERICAN 

perpetuated will be doubly dear to them for that 
second sacrifice. 

Let me here present my sincere and heartfelt 
thanks to the generous ladies of this Union, who have 
so nobly borne their part through the struggles of 
this great rebellion, and to those who so generously 
volunteered their services in administering to the 
wants of the sick and wounded in the hospitals, amid 
the groans of my bleeding comrades, torn by the shot 
and shell of the enem}', weltering in pools of blood, 
with fractured skulls and amputated limbs. May their 
beneficent labors never be forgotten, and may the 
emblem of our country ever float proudly over the 
graves that enclose them. 

Let us then watch carefully the treasures of liberty, 
and so use them as to invoke the smiles of Heaven 
upon our sacred trust. Let us acknowledge His di- 
recting hand, and, by strict integrity and adherence 
to the principles of truth, justice, and righteousness, 
prove ourselves worthy of the trust that avc have re- 
ceived. Millions yet unborn, calling to mind the 
noble deeds of daring, and the patriotic devotion of 
these heroes of the Grand Army of this Republic, 
who bore, in triumph, the star-decked emblem of our 
nation through the proud embattled hosts of the 
enemy, will rise up to bless the God of battles for such 
a noble ancestry, and will crown them with perpetual 
and immortal honors. 



CERTIFICATES AND ENDORSEMENTS 



GREAT AMERICAN SCOUT AND SPY, 
" GENEBxYL BUl^KEE." 



The foregoing narratives here related are facts that 
actually occurred in the experience of C. L. Ruggles, 
and many of these are as well authenticated as any 
facts in history'. There has been no aim at making 
this a work of general history, but simply a narrative 
of personal experience, coupled with only so much 
of the general history of the war as is necessary to 
explain the cause of the events that transpired in liis 
experience. Many of these are incidents of daring 
that are without parallel in the scout service, and 
reveal the interior of war as it is not seen in the gen- 
eral records of history. The following testimonials 
of the value of his services and the truthfulness of his 
reports will be read with interest : 

" IIe.u)quarter3 1st Brigade, Sd Drv'isioN, ) 
17th Army Corps, December 11, 1863. )' 

*'I have known Mr. Ruggles since December, 1861. I 
remember very well his first expedition as a spy, in June, 



396 CERTIFICATES AND ENDORSEMENTS. 

1862, when tlie 20tli was at Grand Junction, tlien an ex- 
posed outpost, under command of General Leggett. 

" Since that time he has been continually employed on 
such duty, often on expeditions of extreme hazard. He 
has shown as much address as daring. Many a camp-fire 
has been enlivened with stories of his adventures, while 
commanding officers have set high value upon his reports. 

" I remember Mr. Ruggles as one of our best sharp- 
shooters in the war. His skill in this department, as well 
as in the scout service, often obtained him leave to go out 
from the line on somewhat independent duty. At Cham- 
pion Hills I gave him liberty to go with Company A, which 
was sent out as skirmishers to open the way for an advance, 
on account of his skill. 

" At the siege of Vicksburg, he had a special permanent 
permission to be among the sharp-shooters on the ad- 
vanced hues. On the day of the general but unsuccessful 
charge in May, 1863, he was mainly instrumental in driving 
away the artillerists from two of the enemy's guns on the 
right of the Jackson road. 

" During the siege, his Henry rifle, presented to him by 
General Grant, was one of the marked pieces among the 
sharp-shooters of the 17th Corps. 

"M. F. Force, 
"Brig.-Gen'l Vols., late Colonel mh Ohio'' 



" Headquarters, 8d Division, 17th Akmy Corps, ) 
Vicksburg, JIiss., Dedember 7, 18G3. J 

" Mr. Buggies (or ' General Bunker,' as he is better 
Imown) has acted as scout and sj^y for me on very many 
occasions since the early part of June, 1862. In this char- 
acter he has been remarkably successful, seldom ever fail- 
ing to satisfactorily accomplish the mission on which he 
was sent. • 



CERtlFICATES AND ENDORSEMENTS. 397 

" Many scenes of his life as a spy arc intensely interest- 
ing. 

" At some future time, I shall probably be at liberty to 
relate a few incidents of considerable interest in his career, 
of which he himself is as yet ignorant, 

" M. D. Leggett, Brigadier- GeneraV 



•' Memphis, Tenk., November 28, 18C3. 
"Captain E. C. Downs: 

" Dear Sir, — You wrote me some time since, inquiring as 
to the services of Mr. Ruggles as a scout and spy for the 
Union army. In reply I would state that Mr. Euggles was 
a superior man for the work assigned him, and the infor- 
mation obtained through him of the movements of the 
enemy was always reliable. 

" In the discharge of his duties, he was active, energetic, 
and heroically brave. His gallantry in the service deserves 
honorable mention in the work of which you speak. 

" I am truly yours, 

"Leonard F. Pioss." 



" Headquakteks ITth Army Cokps, \ 

"Department of the Tennessee, >• 

" ViCKSBURO, Miss., December 15, 18G3. ) 

" To whom it may concern : 

" This is to certify that Mr. Euggles has been employed 
by me at various times during the past year, and I have 
always found him brave, adventurous, and truthful. 

" His services as a scout have been very important, and 
he deserves well of the military authorities. 

. "James B. McPherson, Major- GeneraV* 



398 CERTIFICATES AND ENDOllSEMENTS. 

" Z.\j;ebville, Ohio, July 81, 1866. 

'• It afibrds me pleasure to state that I am personally ac- 
quainted with Mr. Lorain Ixuggles, known in the army as 
'General Bunker.' He belonged to my command, and I 
know he was regarded as one of the most intrepid scouts 
in the 17th Army Coi-ps. Ho was in high favor with all our 
general officers, and I think rendered more efficient service 
in the capacity of scout and spy than any man with whom 
I am acquainted. He certainly deserves well of his country. 

" I never knew him to give false intelligence, and in his 
forthcoming work should recommend it as a truthful nar- 
rative of his personal adventures, many of which I am 
knowing to. 

"G. F. Wiles, 

''Late Colonel ISth 0. V. V. L, and Brevet JBng.-GenT' 



" Carrolton, Ohio, June 27, 1866. 
" I am glad to add my testimony to the reputation of 
* Bunker' as a scout and spy. I believe him to have been 
the most reliable and successful scout in the Western army. 
"'Bunker' had the confidence of Lieutenant-General 
Grant and Major-Gencrals McPherson and Logan, which 
he earned b}- skilful labor during the campaign, and which 
resulted in the capture of Vicksburg and its garrison. 

" Yours truly, 

"B. r. Potts, 
"Late Brevet Major-General U. S. Vds" 



" Carbonbale, III.. July 1, 18G6. 
" I am well acquainted with Mr. Buggies, or, as we called 
liim in the army, ' General Bunker.' He was certainly a 
veiy excellent scout, and performed gi-eat service in that 
branch of duties. He served as scout for me, as well as for 
many others, and at all times performed his part well ; ran 



CERTIFICATES AND ENDORSEMENTS. 399 

great risks ; Avas not only a ,qoocl scout, bnt one of the best 
sharp-shooters, perhaps, in tlie army. 

" Yonrs truly, 

"John A. Logan." 



" Washington, D. C, July 9, ISGo. 
" 3fajor E. C. Doivns: 

" Dear Sir, — In the -work of which you speak, you are at 
liberty to refer to me concerning the value of the services 
rendered by Mr. Ruggles as a scout and spy. His reports 
were always reliable, and were held in high estimation by 

me. 

" Yours truly, 

"U. S. GllANT. 

" lAeiitenant- General U. S. -4." 

Such testimonials as tjie foregoing give the narra- 
tives contained in the preceding pages a reputation 
of reliability that cannot ];e doubted. Whenever a 
mission of great danger was to be executed, Mr. 
Ruggles was the man (hat was usually chosen to per- 
form it. His quick comprehension and heroic daring 
enabled him to address himself to the work, which he 
rarely ever failed to accomplish. Often the l)oldness 
of his designs proved to be the reason of his success. 
Yery few have equalled, while none have excelled, 
him in that line of duty. ?i[any of the incidents in 
his experience are so wonderful, that without such 
endorsements as we have here presented, v.'C might 
have been led to doubt. ]>nt with such an array of 
testimony every word is estahlished. The paramount 
value of the book is its truthfulness. It will prove a 
valuable addition to any library. 



400 CERTIFICATES AND ENDORSEMENTS. 

The following certificate was obtained, just as we were going to press, 
from the son of a well-known and honored citizen of Norwalk, who, while 
yet in youth, has risen, by energy and heroic bravery, from the rank of a 
teacher to a Brevet Major-General, and who stands forth to-day as a bold 
and intelligent defender of those principles for which he fought: 

" New York, October 25, 1868. 

"Brcvd 3Iajor- General JV. T. Clark: « 

" General, — "We have been referred to yon, by Dr. Asa 

Hill, of Norwalk, Conn., as one probably familiar with the 

military career of C. L, Kuggles, whose adventures as a 

scout and spy we are nov/ publishing. Anything you may 

choose to furnish us on this subject will be most thankfully 

received. 

" With gi-eat respect, 

" Your obedient servants, 

"Olmsted & Welwood." 



" NoiiWALK, CoJTN., October 27, 1868. 
" 3Iessrs. Olmsted & Welwood : 

" Gentlemen, — I knowMr.Euggles, or "General Bunker," 
his army sobriquet ; have known him since the fall of 1862. 
His reputation as an excellent soldier and reliable scout 
was well established in the Army of Tennessee. 

" He ever had the confidGncc of his commanding generals 
in an eminent degree. 

" Yours, 

"W. T. Clark, 
" Brevet 3Iajor- General, 
" Late Chief of Staff, Army of Tennessee,''* 



